Post Doctoral Associate-PIRC

Postdoctoral / Research Associate Position in Radiology Research

The Pediatric Imaging Research Center (PIRC) in the Department of Radiology is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join our group of physicians, medical students, residents, and physicists to conduct research in imaging data analysis. Our primary research focus is identifying the value of imaging and radiology procedures at the institutional, regional, and national levels.

This position is designed for highly motivated medical graduates interested in pursuing a career in imaging data analysis who seek intensive research experience, mentorship, and publication productivity prior to residency or advanced fellowship training.

The fellow will work directly with faculty leadership in Pediatric Radiology across a large multi-hospital academic health system and will participate in clinical research and outcomes research. The fellow will also be involved in health services research, registry and database development, and translational projects when available.

The fellow will participate in the design and execution of clinical research studies, creation and maintenance of prospective databases, chart review and structured data extraction, and statistical analysis with training and faculty support. Responsibilities will include preparation of abstracts for national meetings, manuscript writing and submission, and assistance with clinical trial coordination and regulatory processes including IRB submissions. The fellow will attend weekly research meetings, journal clubs, and academic conferences, and will collaborate with faculty both in and outside of the University of Pittsburgh community. Participation in grant development and protocol preparation is expected.

The fellowship provides close mentorship in scientific writing, study design, clinical trial methodology, statistical interpretation, conference presentation skills, and academic career development. Typical fellows can expect to produce multiple peer-reviewed publications and national conference abstracts, including first-author manuscripts and opportunities for oral presentations, as well as strong letters of recommendation from faculty mentors. Highly motivated fellows often exceed these benchmarks. Fellows from quantitative or public health backgrounds will gain direct exposure to clinical workflow and multidisciplinary care to better contextualize research questions and outcomes.

Applicants must hold a PhD, or equivalent degree, or be in the final year of their training program. Candidates should demonstrate strong interest in clinical research, excellent written English communication skills, and the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. Prior research experience is preferred but not required. International applicants are encouraged to apply.

The fellowship offers a competitive stipend commensurate with experience, conference travel support, dedicated workspace and research infrastructure, statistical and regulatory support, and close faculty mentorship with flexible vacation time.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a one-page personal statement describing career goals and research interests, and a writing sample such as a publication, thesis work, or academic manuscript. Letters of recommendation may be requested after initial review.

Qualifications and Expectations:

• PhD, or equivalent degree, or be in the final year of their training program.

• Demonstrated independent research productivity and a strong work ethic

• Self-motivated interest and commitment to pursuing an independent research career in medical imaging

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

• Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for working within multidisciplinary teams

• Experience in placental-fetal MR imaging analysis

Primary Responsibilities:

• As a member of the research team, actively pursues research under the supervision of a principal investigator while developing skills for independent work. (essential)

• Receives training in and performs duties contributing to the investigational work of the team including formulation of research questions and design, conduct of experiments, and evaluation of results. (essential)

• Prepares and publishes scientific manuscripts under direction of PI. (essential)

• Develops expertise in desired lab skills/informatics/ physics/clinical research. Develops proficiency with research tools and equipment. Develops ability to work with more independence as the fellowship progresses (essential)

• Develops new ideas that promote current research; brings new expertise to the research program. (essential)

• Teaching skills and provide supervision of students and their projects when appropriate. (essential)

• Engages in collaborative meetings with other research groups. Attends and leads scientific seminars. (essential)

• Learn to identify, acknowledge and correct deficiencies in one's own performance. (essential)

• Under the direction of PI, pursues/secures independent funding near the end of the fellowship. (essential)

• Develop and implement state-of-the-art machine learning and image processing methods for analyzing imaging data, such as MRI (structural, functional, diffusional), PET, and other modalities

• Design and optimize image reconstruction algorithms for novel or challenging imaging modalities, including low-dose, sparse, or noisy data

• Create and maintain software pipelines (e.g., Python-based) for data processing, simulation, and analysis, ensuring performance, scalability, and real-time capabilities.

• Perform statistical brain imaging analysis and network analysis to uncover patterns in neuroimaging data.

• Apply advanced signal processing and optimization techniques to extract meaningful features from imaging datasets.

The University of Pittsburgh is an equal opportunity employer / disability / veteran.