10 Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Calgary, Canada

The postdoctoral scholar will re-program autoreactive responses using nanomedicines that target specific antigens in models of central nervous system autoimmunity. The project will investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie tissue repair and the reduction of CNS inflammation. The candidate will join a multidisciplinary team of scientists working at the interface among protein engineering, nanomedicine, in vivo cell re-programming, developmental immunology and chronic inflammatory disease. The postdoc scholar will have the chance to use various functional, phenotypic (e.g. multi-dimensional flow cytometry, mass cytometry), transcriptomic (e.g. scRNAseq, spatial transcriptomics) and epigenetic tools (e.g. ChIPseq, multiome) to analyze the therapeutic effects of in vivo cell re-programming.

The primary purpose of this position is to facilitate and coordinate activities and initiatives aimed at increasing collaboration with BME Industry in the region and beyond. This includes overseeing several BME projects and various partnerships within and outside the University, working with Research Services, the International Office and Innovate Calgary to develop and execute strategies for partnership development. The Post-Doctoral Associate will facilitate cross-campus and external collaboration on Solutions for Health-related projects and maintain excellent relationships with internal and external stakeholders. There are also significant responsibilities associated with partnership agreements, including writing research proposals and contracts and reporting to granting agencies and sponsors.  

The Consortium for Distributed and Passive Sensing (C-DaPS) is a joint project hosted by the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta. The focus areas of C-DaPS cover microseismic monitoring, geomechanics, structural geology, induced seismicity, DAS, data processing, machine learning and InSAR. CDaPS has a proven track record of strategic, world-class research, award-winning training and success in finding creative solutions to some of the most daunting challenges faced by the energy industry.

Under the supervision of Dr. David Eaton, the postdoctoral scholar will perform research on the communication of pore pressure between saltwater disposal wells. Within this role, the postdoctoral scholar will be encouraged and supported to build and strengthen an independent program of research. The goal of this research is to characterize time and distance scales of interactions for a set of neighbouring wells that are injecting into a permeable disposal zone. The project will develop methodologies and insights for forecasting potential interwell communications, with application to induced seismicity from energy technologies including geological carbon sequestration. Data from downhole pressure gauges installed in observation wells will be used to map pressure variations within the disposal formation. Observations will be compared with theoretical and numerical models to estimate hydrological parameters of the reservoir. This research position will include collaborative work with industry.

The Ohlson Research Initiative (ORI) is focused on clinical effectiveness research that informs evidence-based care of patients with head and neck cancer. The ORI works in collaboration with the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, the O’Brien Institute of Public Health, and the Cumming School of Medicine (Departments of Surgery & Oncology). As a member of the ORI, under the supervision of Drs. Sauro & Dort, the postdoctoral fellow will perform research that ultimately improves the care and health of these patients. Within this role, the postdoctoral scholar will be encouraged and supported to build and strengthen their independent program of research. To this end, the successful applicant will be supported, and expected, to apply for external awards locally and nationally.

The primary purpose of this role is to conduct clinical effectiveness research in head and neck cancer. The postdoctoral fellow will advance the research portfolio of the ORI, specifically the health services research portfolio. The postdoctoral fellow will lead research, under the supervision of the Principal Investigators, which will include assisting with writing grant applications, completing ethics applications, conceptualizing and designing research studies, executing research studies and disseminating the findings (including writing manuscripts and presenting findings to stakeholders). Given the ORI is founded on principles of collaboration and multidisciplinary research the postdoctoral fellow will also liaise with all relevant stakeholders throughout the research process.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will be supervised by Dr. Miranda Fidler-Benaoudia and will undertake research to understand oncofertility use and sexual health in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors in Alberta. The successful candidate will bring to fruition a project funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research that includes quantitative analysis of questionnaire data, as well leading qualitative focus groups. The Postdoctoral Scholar will also undertake additional projects seeking to improve care and outcomes in the AYA cancer population, where the primary data source is an established population-based cohort (ayacancerAB.com) that has been linked to registries and administrative health databases, including the Discharge Abstract Database, National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, and Practitioner Claims. Additional projects can be developed based upon the successful candidate’s interests. The start date is negotiable for the right candidate.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will be supervised by Dr. Miranda Fidler-Benaoudia and take direction from the team of an awarded grant from Alberta Health’s Cancer Research for Screening and Prevention (CRSP) funding program. The successful candidate will bring to fruition a project seeking to understand how cancer prevention can be harnessed for cancer control among adolescents and young adults. To do this, the Postdoctoral Scholar will (1) co-design and conduct a comprehensive lifetime assessment of potential risk factors, and (2) survey Albertan youths about their knowledge and beliefs of established cancer risk factors, as well as signs and symptoms of cancer and existing primary and secondary cancer prevention strategies. Additional projects using the Alberta AYA Cancer Survivor Study (ayacancerAB.com) will be developed based upon the successful candidate’s interests, where primarily administrative health databases and registry data will be utilized.

The School of Social Work, University of Calgary (U of C), in conjunction with the Resilience Research Center directed by Dr. Michael Ungar (Dalhousie University), is offering a one-year post-doctoral fellowship to work with data collected on youth experiences in disclosing child sexual abuse and involvement with child advocacy services. Secondary analysis of mixed qualitative and quantitative data will examine research questions around disclosure processes, mental health and justice outcomes, and differential impacts by type of sexual abuse. Ultimately, identification of resilience pathways will help to inform best practices recommendation for mental health clinicians.

Under the primary supervision of Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos (UofC) the Scholar will communicate and co-ordinate with other sites making this a pan-Canadian endeavour with two ThRIve research incubator labs. Dr. Ramona Alaggia (University of Toronto) and Dr. Delphine Collin-Vézina (McGill University) will act as co-supervisors. These labs bring together researchers, practitioners, community partners and students, and will further the mission of the Canadian Consortium on Child and Youth Trauma to improve the lives of mistreated children and youth. Opportunities for the fellow include developing research questions and appropriate analytic strategies; conduct analyses; writing with research team for publications; sitting on planning committees; and presenting findings at the Canadian Annual Symposium on Child and Youth Trauma.

A motivated Postdoctoral Fellow is sought to join a unique multidisciplinary team of imaging and ultrasound engineers (Bruce Pike, Sam Pichardo, Kartik Murari) and neuroscientists (Zelma Kiss, Darren Clark, Patrick Whelan, Andrea Protzner). The project is NSERC-funded and involves focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation imaging/electrophysiology and modeling. Focused ultrasound is emerging as an important neuromodulatory tool, allowing for non-invasive or minimally invasive alteration of brain network function. The mechanisms of FUS action are not well-understood. The candidate would use in vitro and in vivo animal models to interrogate how FUS alters neural function, with access to cutting edge equipment from InSightec, BrainSonics, as well as custom-built focused ultrasound systems and software. The post-doc will present at local and international conferences (e.g. International Symposium on Therapeutic Ultrasound will be in neighbouring Banff in 2025), have opportunities for teaching or industry relationships, and expand the project into new directions. Taking ownership of the work will allow them to apply for their own fellowship funding from local and national/international organizations, with the support of their network of mentors.

Many areas of current chemical research require the synthesis of bespoke molecules to achieve a particular goal. Whether that goal involves catalysis, medicinal chemistry, or renewable energy research, synthesizing and testing new molecules is an expensive endeavor. In collaboration with several other laboratories on campus, the Van Humbeck group is aiming to use the modern tools of computational chemistry and machine learning to help prioritize targets for synthesis and testing. We are seeking a Postdoctoral scholar who can perform DFT calculations and integrate the results into machine learning workflows to help support several ongoing collaborations across fields of chemistry. 

A full-time Postdoctoral Scholar (PDS) opportunity is available at the University of Calgary, Canada, to begin on or about August 15th, 2024. This PDS will contribute to a variety of projects aimed at gaining deeper insights into suicidal thoughts and behaviours in autistic children and youth. The PDS will work on a variety of different projects aimed at 1) understanding bio-psycho-social factors that are associated with suicidality in autistic children and youth; 2) co-creating risk assessment measures for neurodivergent youth; 3) identifying effective brief suicide intervention approaches; and 4) determining research priorities related to suicide for autistic children, youth, and their caregivers.  Additionally, the PDS will have the opportunity to collaborate on additional projects with researchers from various faculties across campus and institutions across the country.