Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan
Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan
Application
Details
Posted: 07-Jan-25
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Type: Full Time
Categories:
Academic / Research
Sector:
College / University
Salary Details:
Individual qualifications in combination with the National Institutes of Health funding levels will determine salary.
Preferred Education:
Doctorate
Additional Information:
Hybrid/Remote is allowed.
Internal Number: 1
The Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center (CPFRC) in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan (UM) seeks postdoctoral research fellows to join the UM HEAL Pain T90/R90 postdoctoral training program. As one of only five sites nationwide to receive this award, the CPFRC is able to support up to five postdoctoral fellows concurrently, with each appointment typically lasting 2-3 years.
This program is geared toward individuals interested in a career in academic pain research. Prior experience in pain research is not required, as there will be many resources and mentors available to provide this training. The focus will be on the professional and career advancement of the postdoctoral fellows, who will be expected to write their own NIH career development award applications (K award) while appointed. There will be ample opportunities for manuscript publication and grant writing during the program. The specific research project will depend on the interests and goals of the scholar.
To be eligible, individuals must:
• Have a PhD degree or equivalent broadly relevant to pain science (such as neuroscience, psychology, computer science, bioinformatics, biostatistics, epidemiology, cognitive science)
• Reside in the US and plan to stay in the US (we are allowed to take one non-US citizen)
• Not have already received more than one year of NIH support for post-doctoral training (e.g. T32 post-doctoral funding)
This is a full-time (40 hours per week) position. Start date is flexible from now until spring-2025. Individual qualifications in combination with the National Institutes of Health funding levels will determine salary. Interested applicants should submit a one-page LOI, CV, and NIH Biosketch The LOI should be written much like the Candidate Background section of an NIH training grant, where you tell the story of your training to date and your reason(s) for wanting to become involved in pain research. Describe the methodological skills that you possess, as well as the additional training and skills you feel that you need to become a successful independent investigator. The LOI should explain any gaps in training or productivity that might not be apparent from your CV.
For more information and LOI submissions please email: UM-HEAL-T90@umich.edu
About Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan
The Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center (CPFRC) at the University of Michigan is an inter-disciplinary center committed to improving the understanding and management of disorders distinguished by symptoms of chronic pain and fatigue. Founded in 1998, the group has been instrumental in establishing the importance of studying commonalities in mechanisms that underlie conditions with otherwise seemingly different clinical presentations (e.g., fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, osteoarthritis, low back pain, and post-deployment syndromes). One of our primary areas of interest has been in studying the central nervous system contributions to these conditions. We are particularly interested in studying the underlying mechanisms of nociplastic pain, as well as how peripheral and central factors together lead to the experience of pain.
We use a wide range of state-of-the-art research methods to study the underlying mechanisms of chronic pain, including adaptive patient-reported outcome measures, neuroimaging (structural, functional, and neurochemical), multisensory quantitative sensory testing, genetics, ecological momentary assessment, actigraphy, and measures of immune and auton...omic nervous system functional and reactivity. We have had a longstanding interest in non-pharmacological therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapies, exercise, and acupuncture, as well as in performing early testing of new technologies and pharmacological therapies, including cannabis and psychedelics, that might be more effective than our currently available therapies.
Although we are part of the Department of Anesthesiology in the University of Michigan Medical School, we maintain strong ties to many other departments, schools, and colleges across the University of Michigan, and collaborate with investigators worldwide.
In addition to this strong research mission, we are also dedicated to providing current, evidence-based information to people with pain and fatigue, their family and friends, health care providers, and trainees interested in pursuing careers in pain care and research. Our newly established Health Equity Core works to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within clinical care, research, and intervention development for chronic pain conditions. In 2022, we received the NIH HEAL National Pain K12 Career Development Award. This award established the CPFRC as the national home of a career development program designed specifically to provide protected time for clinicians and scientists to focus on training in pain science and conducting clinical pain research.
