Senior Research Scientist Position­­,­­ Head of MR Physics Group

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is seeking applications for a Senior Research Scientist Position, Head of MR Physics Group (W2\; 41 hours / week) The position is available from October 1, 2024, or later, for an initial contract period of five years. This is a tenure track position. The tenure evaluation usually comes towards the end of the contract in the 4th or 5th year. However, timing of tenure evaluation is flexible and can occur in close proximity to the appointment in case of outstanding seniority and experience. Job Description One of the institute's research areas is focused on investigating age-related and experience-dependent metabolic and structural differences and changes of the human brain. Another research area studies long-term effects of living environments and runs intervention studies in which participants are exposed to specific environments for a short period of time, investigating the impact on brain function, to obtain causal evidence. Applicants should be interested in the development, adaptation, and application of MR brain imaging methodology that is geared towards conducting groundbreaking longitudinal, cross-sectional, and interventional studies across the lifespan (including infants, children, and older adults). To reliably assess individual differences in change, longitudinal and intervention studies must approximate constancy of measurement conditions across time. Hence, we are looking for candidates who have a strong background in ensuring optimal stability of the MRI system. The successful candidate will be responsible for the institute's core MR facility and at the same time lead a research group that offers reliable and valid functional and structural MR measures for use in a longitudinal and age-comparative research context. Requirements Successful applicants hold a doctoral degree in physics (strongly preferred), chemistry, biology, neuroscience, or related fields. Experience in MR sequence programming for echoplanar and structural imaging, image reconstruction and artifact mitigation especially for high-field MRI is a requirement, along with a strong track record of relevant publications in both MR methods and applications. The successful candidate will moreover have a strong interest and demonstrated experience in collaborating with and supporting scientists from the field of cognitive neuroscience. A track record of independent work, mentoring experience, and leadership is required. Proficiency in written and spoken English is essential. Applicants also need to be fluent in computer programming (e.g., MATLAB, C), including practical experience in developing and maintaining open-source MRI software tools. An interest in the comparison of sequences across different field strength and in quantitative MRI would be helpful. The Max Planck Institute for Human Development (www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de) offers an excellent infrastructure including support staff. It provides an international research environment, with English being the working language. The institute houses a 3T MR scanner (Tim Trio, Siemens Health Care), which is equipped with a phosphorus RF unit and coils, and is in the process of acquiring a mobile 1.5T, a second 3T MR, and a 7T MR. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. Applications (including a cover letter describing your research interests and a curriculum vitae) should be sent as a single PDF file to Dr. Imke Kruse (kruse@mpib-berlin.mpg.de). Please submit applications by September 30, 2024, to ensure consideration. The data protection declaration for the processing of personal data within the scope of your application can be found here: https://www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/1589569/en_infos_bewerbung.pdf.