Post Doctoral Research Associate - Kinesiology

About UMass Amherst

The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued-and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors. We believe every member of our university community can contribute to our ongoing success by striving for the highest level of excellence as we seek breakthrough solutions to mounting environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges in our world.

Job Description

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) and Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) seek talented applicants for a full-time, Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the Kinesiology Department and IALS, with training in (neurocognitive) kinesiology, neuroscience, or a related discipline with an emphasis on human subject research and the effects of physical behaviors on brain health. This position will be based at the Department of Kinesiology and supervised by Dr. Dominika Pindus whose expertise focuses on the impact of physical activity and sedentary behaviors on brain health across the adult lifespan.

We are searching for a highly motivated and proactive individual, ideally, with a focus on physical activity interventions and neuroimaging. This postdoctoral position will involve participating in existing studies, leading independent research, as well as conducting analysis of existing data, which can range broadly from behavioral (e.g., computerized task) to neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI) data from studies examining the relationships between physical behaviors and cognitive and brain functions in adults.

As part of the interdisciplinary project team, the postdoctoral research associate will also collaborate with scholars at UMass Amherst at the Center for Human Health & Performance, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UMass EXTENSION, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, and the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. The successful candidate will also support related research activities being employed by our research team.

Essential Functions

Specific activities may include collecting new data (e.g., leading exercise intervention, collecting behavioral task, EEG, fMRI, wearables data), project coordination and supporting existing projects (e.g., IRB, database management), managing/preprocessing/analyzing behavioral and neuroimaging data, presenting and disseminating research, formal supervision, and mentoring of lab members at earlier career stages on independent research projects, grant writing, leading independent research and disseminating results via conferences, talks, and first-author manuscripts, and liaison with local stakeholders and interdisciplinary study teams both internally and externally.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• A doctorate in neurocognitive kinesiology, neuroscience, or a related field with a focus on human subject research.
• Demonstrate a clear capacity to coordinate a research project in the area of kinesiology, neuroscience, or a related discipline involving human subjects.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively - verbally and in writing - with participants, staff, and supervisors.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with team members and contacts who are internal and external to the university.
• Organizational skills to maintain records and coordinate complex and multi-faceted tasks.
• High level of independence and reliability.
• Demonstrated ability to publish in high-quality journals in kinesiology and/or neuroscience or related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of neuroimaging data processing (e.g., but not limited to EEG, fMRI, fNIRS) OR demonstrated ability to code independently in R, Python, or Matlab.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate a complex research project.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise exercise interventions.

Additional Information

• This position will require the successful candidate to work full-time (40 hours per week). The work will require week and weekend hours to facilitate human subject recruitment and testing. This is an in-person only position.
• This is a 12-month appointment with reappointment contingent on funding.

Application Instructions

Along with the application, please submit the following application materials for priority consideration by June 31, 2025. The position will remain open until filled.

• A cover letter that includes a statement of research experience and interests,
• A curriculum vitae,
• PDF copies of one recent publication,
• Contact information of three professional references.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.