Postdoctoral Associate
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Job Summary
A postdoctoral position is available on an NIH-funded project that focuses on evaluating whether music engagement (and other activities) are protective for adolescent substance use behaviors.
This project includes analyses of longitudinal twin datasets including the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and the Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging (CATSLife). Approaches include longitudinal twin/family analyses and evaluating models of gene-environment interplay using polygenic scores. This position is ideal for highly motivated individuals with skills in behavior genetics and an interest in working with a multidisciplinary group of collaborators. The ideal candidate will have experience with longitudinal twin datasets, biometric twin analyses, and polygenic score approaches and will have already worked with publicly available datasets such as ABCD (or CATSLife).
The successful candidate will work closely with Dr. Daniel E. Gustavson, with opportunities to interact with other team members including Dr. Naomi Friedman and Dr. Chandra Reynolds. Other team members include Dr. Hermine Maes at Virginia Commonwealth University. Opportunities to develop research projects will include evaluating substance use outcomes, and research on the genetic underpinnings of music engagement and ability.
Who We Are
The Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG) is an organized research unit of the University of Colorado Boulder Graduate School dedicated to conducting and facilitating research on the genetic and environmental bases of individual differences in behavior. There is a particular interest in the genetics of substance use disorders as well as psychiatric, behavioral and neurological disorders. IBG researchers make use of well characterized longitudinal data arising from both family-based and population based samples. Statistical and epidemiological approaches being used at IBG include longitudinal twin/family studies, genome-wide association studies, and related approaches using these data (including polygenic scores and LD-score regression). Within IBG, Dr. Daniel Gustavson’s lab leverages longitudinal, genetic approaches to examine how genes and environment influence behavior, mental health, cognitive functioning, and dementia outcomes.
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
- Collaborating with Dr. Daniel Gustavson on scientific projects associating trajectories of substance use across adolescence with individual differences in engagement with music and other activities (e.g., art, sports).
- Taking lead on scientific projects and seeing them through to publication as the first author.
- Participating in data management, e.g., applying scoring to phenotypic and genomic datasets.
- Writing and running scripts.
- Interacting with team members within and across sites.
What You Should Know
- The position is open for a 24-month fellowship, with opportunity to extend to additional years.
What We Can Offer
- $61,000 to $71,000 12-month salary based on experience.
- This is a 100% full time position.
Benefits
Be Statements
What We Require
Qualifications include a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in Psychology or another relevant field (genetics, bioinformatics, or statistics) and a strong background in behavioral genetics and statistics. The candidate will have advanced methodological and statistical skills, proficiency with more than one statistical computing platform including the R statistical language, peer-reviewed publication experience, and an ability to work independently in addition to succeeding in a collaborative multi-site team environment.
What We Would Like You to Have
Preference will be given to qualified applicants with skills in large database management and statistical programming. Experience working with longitudinal data, a working knowledge of some of the standard packages in the field (e.g., OpenMx, Lavaan, MPLUS, PLINK, etc), and have experience in testing novel models.
Special Instructions
To apply, please submit the following materials:
- Resume/CV
- Cover Letter
- One Letter of Reference
Review of applications will begin April 29, 2025.
Interested candidates may contact daniel.gustavson@colorado.edu for questions about the position (please attach updated CV).
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.
Posting Contact Information
Posting Contact Name: Daniel E. Gustavson
Posting Contact Email: daniel.gustavson@colorado.edu