Research Fellow - Michigan Psychoneuroimmunology Lab

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

The Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan invites applications for a postdoctoral research fellow in the Michigan Psychoneuroimmunology Lab (PI: Dr. Annelise Madison) to begin in Summer 2027 or Fall 2027.

To be considered for the position, you must also apply via the UM Careers website. A detailed cover letter is required for consideration when applying for this position and should be uploaded via the UM Careers website as the first page(s) of a single, electronic document of application materials that also includes your CV/resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline your skills and experience that directly relate to the duties described below.

Additional application materials to Dr. Annelise Madison (annelism). Please include:
Cover letter Curriculum Vitae Research statement Three writing samples (e.g., recent publications, working papers) Three reference letters (submitted by the letter writers to annelism)

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The Michigan Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) Lab, led by Dr. Annelise Madison in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, investigates the dynamic interactions between psychological processes, the immune system, and physical health. The lab combines experimental psychoneuroimmunology with clinical science, using laboratory-based stress paradigms, naturalistic stress designs, ambulatory and ecological momentary assessment, biomarker analysis, and randomized intervention trials to understand how psychological states get under the skin and what can be done about it.

Much of the lab's work is mechanistic: examining how acute and chronic stress, social experience, and emotion regulation shape inflammatory and immune processes in both healthy and clinical populations. This experimental work informs the translational aim of making evidence-based psychological care more tailored, accessible, and available to people living with chronic disease and psychological distress.

Current projects span two complementary lines. The first serves people who already have chronic disease, particularly inflammatory disease, and includes the development and testing of a transdiagnostic psychological intervention designed to reduce distress and improve health behavior, with attention to whether such changes are accompanied by shifts in inflammatory and disease-relevant biomarkers. This work is conducted in collaboration with clinical partners across oncology, rheumatology, and endocrinology.

The second examines how the psychological and physiological effects of stress can be buffered in healthy populations, using experimental and naturalistic stress designs, with an eye toward the prevention of inflammatory and chronic disease.

The PI also maintains several large PNI datasets available for secondary analysis and publication. Initiative and a strong desire to publish are highly valued. The research fellow will collaborate with the PI and other lab members and conduct empirical research across the lab's two research lines. In addition to contributing to ongoing projects, the fellow will have the opportunity to pursue independent research interests that align with the lab's mission.

Successful candidates must have completed all requirements for a Ph.D. prior to the starting date and must demonstrate a strong interest in, and commitment to, interdisciplinary research.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Conduct collaborative research with the PI and other members of the Michigan PNI Lab, including:
• Identify and generate new research ideas;
• Conduct critical literature reviews;
• Develop novel hypotheses and conceptual frameworks;
• Develop new research protocols;
• Collect data and conduct statistical analyses;
• Prepare and revise presentations, posters, and manuscripts to be presented at academic forums and published in peer-reviewed academic journals;
• Assist the PI in preparing grant proposals;
• Assist the PI in mentoring graduate students and other lab members;
• Participate in lab meetings, departmental seminars,…