Post-Doctoral Associate: Sleep- DBS Parkinson's Disease

Position Summary

The Neuromodulation Research Center (NMRC) at the University of Minnesota is seeking a Post‑Doctoral Associate to study the brain mechanisms involved in disordered sleep in Parkinson's disease (PD) and develop sleep‑specific deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies. Under the direction of Luke Johnson, PhD and Jerrold Vitek, MD, PhD, the Post‑Doctoral Associate will work collaboratively within the NMRC on a clinical research project and have the unique opportunity to perform cortical and subcortical electrophysiological recordings across the sleep‑wake cycle in patients receiving DBS implants.

The Post‑Doctoral Associate may also be involved in a study utilizing high‑field 7‑T MRI fiber tractography and computational modeling to associate pathway activation patterns with sleep outcomes following clinically optimized DBS in PD patients. The research will provide a better understanding of the brain circuitry involved in disordered sleep in PD, contribute to the development of electrophysiological‑based strategies (e.g., closed‑loop DBS) for the treatment of sleep‑wake disturbances, and provide the rationale for selection of DBS targets and programming settings in PD patients for whom sleep disturbances play a major role in their disease.

We are a large collaborative research team and part of the NIH‑funded University of Minnesota Udall Center of Excellence in PD Research. Our research involves collaborations across multiple fields including Neurology, Neurosurgery, Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, and Biostatistics. We also have a robust preclinical translational research program that includes sleep studies in the nonhuman primate model of PD. Together this provides a vibrant training and research environment for the Post‑Doctoral Associate.

Work Schedule:

Hybrid, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.

• 75% Research Duties:
  Data collection, analysis, method development, and publication of results in manuscripts, proceedings, and conference abstracts.
• 10% Supervision and Project Management:
  Manage junior lab members and volunteers to ensure timely completion of project aims.
• 5% Career Development:
  Professional skills, leadership training, and technical skills development.
• 5% Outreach:
  Patient/community outreach and industry partnerships.
• 5% Travel:
  Attending and presenting at local, national, and international conferences.

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or a similar field.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Strong quantitative background and signal‑processing expertise appropriate for the analysis of neural activity.
• Strong record of presenting research results through publications and conference abstracts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Programming experience in MATLAB.
• Background in sleep physiology.

Pay Range: $65,480 annually – $79,076 annually, depending on education, qualifications, and experience.

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off.
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training.
• Medical, dental, and pharmacy plans.
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• University HSA contributions.
• Disability and life insurance.
• Employee wellbeing program.
• Financial counseling services.
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost.

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.