Join the Lab

Area: Cumming School of Medicine, Community Health Sciences and Department of Pediatrics

Duration: One year; renewable for an additional year

Start Date: As soon as possible

Salary: $60,000/year plus Plan C health benefits through Alberta Blue Cross.

The Cumming School of Medicine (Departments of Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics) at the University of Calgary is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to work in the area of the early life gut microbiome and the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD).

Job Description:

Our team is recruiting a scholar to become part of an active and innovative research program that is elucidating the links between gut microbiota, mental health, neurodevelopment, and health behaviors (sleep, diet, exercise) in children. The scholar’s work will help to identify novel and actionable intervention targets to optimize neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes in children and adolescents.

The source data for the scholar’s work is an ongoing pregnancy cohort study that recruited pregnant individuals and is prospectively following them and their children. We have collected biological samples and questionnaire data to accurately document participants' physiological and psychological experiences of stress and mental health. Our data set includes repeated gut microbiota (metagenomic shotgun sequencing) and metabolomics from children throughout the first 3 years of life (n=500+). The scholar will have immediate access to this data to address questions about the influence of the role of gut microbiota in child development outcomes. We will train the scholar in assessment and analysis of health behaviors, an area of neglected research in relation to the microbiome. These training opportunities will position the scholar with unique interdisciplinary research expertise to launch the next phase of their academic career.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a PhD and have experience working with gut microbiota data
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English are required
• Desired qualifications also include experience with (or training in) experimental and longitudinal research design and analysis
• Applicants are required to have demonstrated capacity to work effectively in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment.
• Fellows are expected to engage in full-time research activities and actively engage in the University of Calgary’s professional development program as opportunities are being offered.
• The successful scholar will be strongly encouraged to apply for national/international awards.

Please review the Postdoc Eligibility Guidelines for more information prior to applying for this position.

Application details:

The postdoctoral scholar will be supervised by Dr. Gerry Giesbrecht, with collaborative opportunities to work with other microbiome researchers.

Candidates must submit the completed application package as a single PDF file. All applications must include:

• a brief cover letter including date of availability, suitability and motivation for the role, including your interest in microbiome and child development, qualifications or related experience, general research/goals statement
• detailed curriculum vitae (CV)
• official or unofficial copy of diploma(s)/university certificate(s)
• contact information including email addresses for three (3) references to support the application

For full consideration, please submit your application via email to Dr. Gerry Giesbrecht (ggiesbre@ucalgary.ca)

Developmental Psychobiology Website: Department of Pediatrics | Cumming School of Medicine | University of Calgary

Our research group is committed to enhancing and supporting equity, diversity and inclusion. Applicants from diverse backgrounds, including age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, language, national origin, race, religion, culture, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, are encouraged to apply. Our commitment is demonstrated in our academic work, clinical training, and research.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

To succeed as one of Canada’s top universities, where new ideas are created, tested and applied through first-class teaching and research, the University of Calgary needs more of the best minds in our classrooms and labs. We’re increasing our scholarly capacity by investing in people who want to change the world, bringing the best and brightest to Calgary to form a global intellectual hub and achieve advances that matter to everyone. For more information visit research.ucalgary.ca/postdocs.

About Calgary, Alberta

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 the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, 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 (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

The Developmental Psychobiology Lab is currently accepting students from Psychology, Community Health Sciences, and the Medical Sciences Graduate Program.

Dr. Giesbrecht is committed to training highly qualified personnel in a positive and supportive research environment. Students work as a part of a research team that inspires trainees to produce high quality research using state-of-the art methods. Graduates will be well prepared for a future career in research. Incoming graduate students are selected according to their undergraduate/graduate grades, interpersonal and communication skills, potential for scholarly work, work ethic, and fit within the Developmental Psychobiology Laboratory.

Guidelines for Graduate Students:

If you are a psychology, neuroscience or health sciences major interested in doing an honours thesis and conducting research in the Developmental Psychobiology Laboratory, please contact the lab in the Fall semester prior to your application.

Students in the Department of Psychology can obtain course credit for an independent study course (PSYC 504 or 505) under the supervision of Dr. Giesbrecht. Projects may also be done through other departments - please consult your department head to see if you are eligible. A minimum GPA of 3.4 is required for at least one semester prior to applying to the Developmental Psychobiology Lab for independent study.

For students attending the University of Calgary, course credit for PSYC 499 can be obtained through working in the Developmental Psychobiology Laboratory. A minimum GPA of 3.4 is required for at least one semester prior to applying to the Developmental Psychobiology Lab for PSYC 499.

The Developmental Psychobiology Lab regularly accepts volunteers who want to learn about and contribute to research. A commitment of at least 5 hours per week for one semester is required. A minimum GPA of 3.4 is required for at least one semester prior to volunteering.