Postdoctoral Fellowship - Functional brain connectomics in glioma

CONTEXT: A postdoctoral position call in functional brain connectomics in glioma is open for work with Dr. Silvio Sarubbo (Head of the Neurosurgery Unit, "S. Chiara" Hospital, Trento, Italy) and Prof. Jorge Jovicich (Head of MRI Methods Group, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy), within a project funded by the Health Services Agency of the Province of Trento (Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari). The general objective is to investigate associations between glioma type and location with neurocognitive deficits following brain surgery with the goal to improve prognosis.

DURATION: The position will be for 22 months with a potential for extension, starting in May 2022.

TOPICS: The primary duties of the postdoctoral fellow will be to develop and apply functional connectivity methods from resting-state functional MRI data to investigate pre-surgical organization in glioma patients and subsequent longitudinal post-surgery reorganization. The findings will be integrated with other neuroimaging and cognitive data. MRI data acquisitions will involve mostly a clinical 1.5T MRI system but will also include evaluations using a research 3T Siemens Prisma scanner. The candidate will contribute towards writing manuscripts and co-supervising junior researchers from our international MSc and PhD programs. The work will be part of a highly motivated, inter-disciplinary and international team focused on contributing towards the translation of advanced neuroimaging research methods to the clinic, ultimately to improve glioma prognosis. The fellow will support the planning and execution of the Practical fMRI Session of the bi-annual Brain Connect event planned for 2022 (see 2019 program). 

BACKGROUND: The candidate should have a PhD (official degree received prior to start is necessary) and documented experience in restings-state functional brain MRI connectivity analyses and programming (for example, Python, R, Matlab). Applications are encouraged from candidates with various relevant backgrounds (computer science, cognitive neuroscience, physics, bio-medical engineering). A background in neuroscience and/or neuroimaging analysis is a plus. Excellent verbal and written English communication skills as well as team spirit are a must.

LIFE: To also consider a work/life balance, there is more than our passion for translational research. You can check these pointers for a flavor of life quality in Trentino: https://www.visittrentino.info/en; https://www.discovertrento.it/en; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trentino.

APPLICATION LINKS: English, Italian (DEADLINE April 20th, 2022)

RELATED WORK FROM OUR GROUP

• Saviola F, Zigiotto L, Novello L, Zacà D, Annicchiarico L, Corsini F, Rozzanigo U, Papagno C, Jovicich J, Sarubbo S. The role of the default mode network in longitudinal functional brain reorganization of brain glioma. Brain Structure and Function. 2022 (in press)

• Saviola F, Zigiotto L, Tambalo S, Annicchiarico L, Corsini F, Rozzanigo U, Sarubbo S, Jovicich J. Intrinsic dynamic functional connectivity in brain gliomas. Organization of Human Brain Mapping Glasgow U.K., 19-23 June 2022

• Luciani F, Gift Cabalo D, Saviola F, Zigiotto L, Tambalo S, Zacà D, Novello L, Sarubbo S, Jovicich J. Low-grade glioma resting-state fMRI pre-operative maps: a comparison with functional atlas from direct electrode stimulation. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, London U.K., May 7-12, 2022.

• Zacà D, Jovicich J, Corsini F, Rozzanigo U, Chioffi F, Sarubbo S. ReStNeuMap: a tool for automatic extraction of resting-state functional MRI networks in neurosurgical practice. J Neurosurg. 2018 Oct 26;131(3):764-771.
   
• Zacà D, Corsini F, Rozzanigo U, Dallabona M, Avesani P, Annicchiarico L, Zigiotto L, Faraca G, Chioffi F, Jovicich J, Sarubbo S. Whole-Brain Network Connectivity Underlying the Human Speech Articulation as Emerged Integrating Direct Electric Stimulation, Resting State fMRI and Tractography. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018 Oct 11;12:405.

CONTACT: For questions, please contact silvio.sarubbo [at] apss.tn.it and/or jorge.jovicich [at] unitn.it.  

Internships

The MRI Methods Group is always interested in internship applications related to implementing, optimizing and/or applying advanced MRI neuroimaging methods that are sensitive quantify structural and functional plasticity of the human brain.

The period of availability and background should be consistent with both learning and applying skills to support ongoing projects. Feel free to contact jorge.jovicich [at] unitn.it

 

Master and Doctoral Programmes

We are pleased to consider applications from prospective postdocs and students for our international programs:

• CIMEC PhD 
• Master in Cognitive Science 

If interested, please contact Jorge Jovicich by email (jorge dot jovicich at unitn dot it) sending a copy of your CV and a cover letter describing your experience and research interests. Candidates with backgrounds in physics, engineering, programing are preferred.