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The Human Motor Control and Neuromodulation Lab under Dr. Helen Bronte-Stewart 
(https://secure-web.cisco.com/1f9dUjRrFk6HT1kdt75XvcPOiw09RU7qvJGDFohQet7PqZuTbeMJx42usvV_Sbs3e-iiwS49xpfRvJk0vyopitSrCfLgtYHqEIVV1a0_UCsDzgLrpEmYnM2XwlkyvefTkgxkZAzCB_atEg1_tE6SYDOlZ4_ofsuN9pHCqp8mbsWbrVEjf-aCySYpS5pUA4sO0btoMLCR51njgtGpOt__INt0iyMVN_z_xrFSslmlr-TiAmFl2nQ9tZ8yRRBMysUdgTcvS-KQXDDfy2iIchHrwhky-OQ3IdlFLrHADxiP_tNu0kOiDJEUBvIzBtUAkWs1y/https%3A%2F%2Fmed.stanford.edu%2Fbronte-stewart-lab.html)
 part of the Stanford Movement disorders Center within the Department of 
Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University’s School of 
Medicine, is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to investigate cognitive-motor 
dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease.


The goal of the research in the laboratory is to understand the pathophysiology 
of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. At Stanford, innovations in 
neural interface technology have allowed us to discover how abnormal electrical 
brain activity contributes to disorders in movement. In the Human Motor Control 
and Neuromodulation Lab, the first decoding of electrical activity in deep 
brain structures during abnormal movement in Parkinson’s disease patients was 
performed using novel and investigative sensing neurostimulators. Our team has 
deconstructed brain activity to discover both the neural code responsible and 
kinematic quantification for various motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. 
This has enabled us to reverse engineer brain circuitry and restore movement in 
Parkinson’s disease using the first closed loop, demand-based brain pacemakers 
that respond to neural and kinematic markers of movement impairment. We are now 
working towards expanding this approach to address the currently unsolved 
problem of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease.


The aim of the current work is to characterize the cognitive-motor dysfunction 
in Parkinson’s disease using a combination of cognitive assessments, motor 
tasks, and structural neuroimaging to pave the way for a novel deep brain 
stimulation therapy aimed at improving these deficits. Specifically, you will 
investigate the role of the cholinergic system in specific cognitive domains in 
Parkinson’s disease and its overlap with gait and fine-motor tasks. 
Additionally, the candidate will help validate the use of novel targets for 
deep brain stimulation using a combination of tractography and DBS modeling. 
The current position offers an exceptional opportunity for neuroscientists with 
a background in cognition and/or structural imaging to apply these skills in a 
clinically-relevant domain.


The desired candidate would have a PhD in Neuroscience or a related discipline 
with experience in cognition, motor control, and structural imaging. Preferred 
start date is before July 2022 but is flexible.


Job Requirements

Required:

PhD in Neuroscience or related disciplines with expertise in data sciences

Experience working in the area of cognition and motor control

Experience in structural imaging (tractography, voxel-based morphometry, etc.)

Comfortable analyzing data in Matlab, Python, or similar languages

Strong data science skills

Ability to work well in a diverse team

Effective oral and written communication skills

Excellent organization skills and demonstrated ability to complete detailed 
work accurately

Excellent problem-solving ability



Preferred:

Experience with Parkinson’s disease or other clinical populations

Experience with deep brain stimulation modeling (volumes of tissue activated, 
etc.)

Experience with larger data sets



How to Apply:

Apply by sending the following to Kevin Wilkins (wilki...@stanford.edu)

CV

Cover letter describing interest and relevant experience for the project

Three potential reference contacts



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