Jobs for People with MS: National MS Society

Position Summary

The lab of Dr. Grace Smith-Vidaurre at Michigan State University is hiring a postdoctoral research associate. The research associate will lead or contribute to several projects that include modeling experiments to simulate social and signaling systems, as well as behavioral experiments in parrots and songbirds. They will be expected to lead the preparation of manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication, and to prepare and deliver scientific presentations at local, national, and international conferences. The research associate will also be expected to collaborate with other members of the lab, mentor graduate and undergraduate students, and participate in lab meetings. In addition to contributing to the lab's research, the research associate will be encouraged to engage in regular discussions with Dr. Grace Smith-Vidaurre about how to continue developing their independent research program for academic or non-academic careers. This is a hybrid position such that the research associate will primarily work remotely but will be expected to visit the lab periodically in person as well as an external site for short research trips.

General research in the Smith-Vidaurre Lab focuses on how socially learned vocalizations are used to communicate identity information, and how brain regions for producing learned vocalizations may be sensitive to the early-life environment. The lab is part of the Department of Integrative Biology and the Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering. We expect that lab members will contribute to creating and maintaining a collaborative interdisciplinary work culture. We are committed to building an inclusive work environment and creating equitable access to research opportunities for a diverse group of scientists at different career stages. The Smith-Vidaurre Lab is also committed to supporting lab members with opportunities for intellectual growth and professional development towards their academic or non-academic career goals.

Responsibilities of the research associate may include, but are not limited to:

• Leading the writing and preparation of manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication
• Designing and implementing inferential statistics pipelines to analyze bioacoustics and behavioral datasets
• Contributing to modeling experiments with simulated acoustic datasets and agent-based models
• Leading behavioral experiments and acoustic data collection with monk parakeets at an external research site
• Leading behavioral experiments and acoustic data collection with a local colony of songbirds on campus
• Working collaboratively with graduate students, research technicians, and undergraduate students in the lab to write manuscripts and create scientific talks or posters
• Visiting the lab in-person for short periods of time
• Assisting with generating pilot data and results for grant proposals, as well as helping to review grant proposals

• Helping to train and mentor graduate and undergraduate students or other lab members on animal behavior experiments, data analysis, inferential statistics, manuscript writing, and professional development

   

The research associate will be trained on computational skills needed to analyze empirical or simulated bioacoustics datasets and will be expected to continue learning independently throughout their time in the lab.

Duration: The position will begin in summer 2024 and the exact start date is negotiable. The position is for one year, with the possibility of extension to a second year depending on both job performance and funding availability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protect