Center for Healthy Minds

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Plasticity of Well-Being (PWB))

Applications accepted until the position is filled.

In this position you will join the PWB Network’s collaborative activities and be formally co-mentored by 2-3 of the Plasticity of Well-being Faculty members listed at https://plasticityofwellbeing.wisc.edu/about/. As part of the multidisciplinary PWB network, you will play an integral role in research designed to advance understanding of emotional well-being, including secondary data analysis of existing projects.

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Suicide Risk and Intervention)

Applications accepted until the position is filled.

The Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with a background in quantitative or clinical psychology to be part of a team whose aim is to leverage intensive time sampling data to improve suicide risk prediction and intervention. Qualified individuals will have a Ph.D in Quantitative or Clinical Psychology or a closely related field involving applied data analysis.

Postdoctoral Research Associate (DARPA Strengthen)

Applications accepted until the position is filled.

The Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with a background in cognitive and/or affective neuroscience to work on intervention studies in healthy and distressed adults to promote wellbeing and prevent suicide. Qualified individuals will have experience in fMRI processing and analysis methods.

Postdoctoral Fellow in Pediatric Neuroimaging (BEE Study)

Applications accepted until the position is filled.

University of Wisconsin Madison, Departments of Medical Physics and Psychiatry are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to analyze data for a longitudinal study looking at the impact of poverty on infants' structural and functional brain development.

For current openings at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, search online for position vacancy listings.

The Center’s work, specifically research led by Richard Davidson, relies on sophisticated neuroimaging and other related biological methods to make inferences about processes in the brain and body during emotion, in psychopathology and in response to interventions designed to change emotion and cognition, including meditation.

These methods require a strong technical and statistical background to master. Knowing any programming language is better than none and course work in computer science, biology (neuroscience) and physics is highly recommended. Many of our most successful students have been physics, computer science and neuroscience majors as undergraduates.

Due to limitations in the number of students we can support, the Center selects few graduate students and requires a formal invitation. If you believe you meet these requirements, please email us with a copy of your CV, along with a statement of your research interests and technical skills. While we are glad to review your material to see if you are a good fit, we unfortunately cannot offer advice or dedicate time to every inquiry. You can find more information about graduate work at UW–Madison at UW Admissions, the Neuroscience Training Program, the Training Program in Emotion Research and the Department of Psychology.

Undergraduate Student Application

The Center for Healthy Minds has many ongoing research projects, providing ample opportunities for UW–Madison undergraduate students to gain valuable research experience. Students have the chance to interact with staff, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and other undergraduate students to perform a variety of duties as needed for projects. We are actively recruiting undergraduate students and encourage you to explore the Center’s current research projects.

Before applying, please note:

• A minimum commitment of two semesters is required (summer counts as a semester). Typically, students work for research credit during their first two semesters and then switch to hourly pay based on funding availability. Federal Work Study students may have the opportunity to begin on hourly pay.

• Useful backgrounds for undergraduate positions include computer programming, statistics, childhood development or education, psychology, neuroscience, biology, biostats, data science, and other research areas.

• A GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred but not required unless explicitly stated by the supervisor. We take a holistic approach to reviewing applications, considering experience, GPA, and interests.

We rarely accept students from outside UW–Madison, but in specific and limited circumstances, we may consider non-UW students who can commit to contributing for two or more contiguous semesters.

Interested students can complete the CHM Undergraduate Student Application.

Applications Accepted:

• Spring Semester: 10/1-3/1
• Summer Semester: 2/1-7/1
• Fall Semester: 3/1-10/15

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Our researchers/staff hire undergraduates as needed.

Please contact CHM Undergraduate Administration ([email protected]) with any questions.