The Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre (SPMMRC), University of Nottingham is seeking to recruit a postdoctoral research fellow in the field of ultra high field MRI (7 Tesla). The successful candidate will develop novel fMRI and MRI sequences and analysis methods to allow the delineation of the cortical layers in the human brain. These methods will be used to differentiate top-down and bottom-up cortical processing. Specifically, the candidate will be responsible for: 1) Development of MRI methods, including BOLD and non-BOLD (cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial cerebral blood volume (aCBV)) contrast methods for high spatial resolution fMRI at 7 Tesla to delineate cortical laminar layer responses. These schemes will be used in combination with simultaneous EEG recording; 2) Development of data analysis methods for 7 Tesla fMRI data to identify laminar layer specific responses; 3) Application of these methods to investigate top-down and bottom-up cognitive processing.

The successful candidate will work closely with a Research Fellow, based at the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham who will be primarily responsible for developing EEG acquisitions and the integration of fMRI and EEG data.

The University of Nottingham has been at the forefront of imaging since its inception in the 1970’s and a rich history of novel developments resulted in the award of a Nobel Prize to Sir Peter Mansfield. The Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre (SPMMRC) remains at the forefront of neuroimaging development with significant contributions in the fields of MRI and fMRI, simultaneous EEG-fMRI and MEG. As well as the Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, the candidate will work with a team of experts in the fields of MRI and multi-modal imaging including simultaneous EEG-fMRI at the SPMMRC and in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. All MRI scanning will take place at the SPMMRC which is equipped with 7T, 3T and 1.5T MR systems, MR-compatible 64-channel EEG and a 275-channel MEG.

This project is funded in part from the Leverhulme Trust.

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for a period of 22 months from 1st June 2015.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Karen Mullinger, email: Karen.mullinger@nottingham.ac.uk or Dr Susan Francis, e-mail: susan.francis@nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.

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