Academic Position in Neuroscience of Child and Youth Mental Health

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).

The Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy (http://www.ucalgary.ca/cba/) in partnership with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI: https://research4kids.ucalgary.ca/), the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI; http://www.hbi.ucalgary.ca/) and the Azreili Accelerator (https://www.ucalgary.ca/azrieli-accelerator) invite applications for a full-time academic position with Tenure at the Professor level.

We are seeking to recruit a biomedical scientist who will pursue research on the neural and neurodevelopmental basis for child, youth, and adult mental health issues including depression, anxiety and addiction. The candidate must have a strong program in understanding neurotransmitters, their role in plasticity and effects on metabolism. Qualifications include a PhD or equivalent, at least three years of postdoctoral research training, at least ten years of demonstrated success in obtaining grant support, publishing and presenting research outputs (including papers, conference proceedings and invited talks), and running a nationally competitive, funded reseach program. Applicants must hold a current appointment at the Professor level or equivalent, or be eligible for promotion to this rank. The successful candidate’s research program shall integrate experimental animal model-based as well as human participant research with computational approaches. We require that the candidate would have a strong record in electrophysiology, ensemble recordings, and behavioral analyses along with sophisticated computational approaches including tools of non-linear dynamics, and multiscale networks. An understanding/application of their program to neuromorphic applications would be a strong positive attribute. This position will contribute to theme 3 (vulnerable to thriving) within the One Child Every Child (OCEC) Canada First Excellence Program, to the HBI initiative in computational neuroscience, and to the Azreili Accelerator. The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability and interest in collaborating with existing scientists within ACHRI and the HBI.

The position provides 75% protected time for research, and will include expectations to contribute to undergraduate and graduate level teaching. It is an excellent opportunity to continue to develop an independent, externally-funded research program within a highly collaborative environment. A generous startup package to develop a vigorous research program are available through ACHRI, the HBI, and the Azreili Accelerator.

Energized by the Child Health and Wellness Strategy as well as the One Child Every Child Canada First Research Excellence Fund program (CFREF), ACHRI is enabling research to transform health and wellness outcomes for children. Home to over 390 faculty members, ACHRI is the most rapidly growing child health institute in Canada and attracts >$80M in external research funds annually. OCEC is structured along two parallel paths, one led by Indigenous and the other by non-Indigenous scholars. The program consists of three themes and six accelerators that focus on research most likely to impact child health and enabled by platforms, common approaches and access to broad collaborative networks.

The HBI is focused on Excellence in Brain and Mental Health (BMH) Research and Education. It brings together over 300 full members working in this area. Following from its vision “Healthy Brains for Better Lives”, the strategic goals of the HBI are to make key, internationally recognized discoveries and transform clinical research in the neurosciences and mental health. To achieve this goal the HBI has created a “NeuroDiscovery Framework”, which aligns research within three themes of Brain & Behaviour, Neural Injury & Repair and Healthy Brain Aging. Each theme is composed of BMH Teams organized in a translational continuum, which includes biomedical, clinical, population and public health researchers. The teams take advantage of several key technology platforms, core facilities (such as optogenetics, neurostimulation, and advanced microscopy) and programs that support them in the pursuit of their research goals. This highly enriched environment is ideally suited to foster research excellence.

ACHRI and the HBI are committed both to collaborative research activities and to fostering diversity through cultivating an environment where people with a variety of backgrounds, genders, interests and talents feel welcome and included. These supports include the provision of a formal mentoring program, internal review programs that enhance success in research grant applications, pilot funding programs and other support programs. All researchers involved with OCEC, as an example, receive training on work with Indigenous people, communities and data. Experience with Indigenous community-based work is an asset for all members of the OCEC research team.

UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

Calgary is one of the world’s cleanest cities and has been named one of the world’s most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders – in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from a growing number of world-class dining and cultural events and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

The University of Calgary adheres to the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and strives to evaluate research impact responsibly and inclusively by explicitly considering discipline-appropriate methods for demonstrating the quality, significance, and societal impact of a broad range of research contributions.

The University of Calgary recognizes that candidates have varying career paths and that career interruptions can be part of an excellent academic record. Candidates are encouraged but not required to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions to allow for a fair assessment of their application. Selection committees have been instructed to give careful consideration to, and be sensitive to the impact of career interruptions, when assessing the candidate’s research productivity.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit an application online via University of Calgary Careers webpage using the ‘Apply Now’ link.

Please be aware that the application process allows for a maximum of four attachments. Your four application attachments should be organized to contain the following (you are encouraged to merge documents to reduce the number of attachments):

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Research interest statement (not to exceed 2 pages)
• Leadership statement including equity, diversity and inclusion considerations (not to exceed 2 pages)
• The names and contact information for three (3) referees. Reference letters will not be required unless the applicant is short-listed for a visit/interview.

View full posting and apply: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/14268303-academic-position-in-neuroscience-of-child-and-youth-mental-health-department-of-cell-biology-and-anatomy-cumming-school-of-medicine

For more information please contact:

Dr. Benedikt Hallgrimsson,
Professor and Head
Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy
Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary
Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1

Application deadline: May 24, 2024

To learn more about academic opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Academic Careers website (http://careers.ucalgary.ca/). For more information about the Cumming School of Medicine visit Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary (ucalgary.ca)

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In this connection, at the time of your application, please answer the following question: Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? (Yes/No)

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