The Pasqual Maragall Foundation invites applications for a full-time postdoctoral position within the context of the AMYPAD project, as part of a clinical research program of the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Centre (Barcelona, Spain).
AMYPAD is a European project to establish the true value of amyloid PET in a diagnostic and prognostic setting (http://www.amypad.eu/). This 5-year project is a collaboration between industry (GEHC, Piramal, Janssen, Ixico) and academic partners funded by the IMI-2 program (total budget 27 million euro). Throughout Europe we will recruit 900 memory clinic patients and 3100 preclinical or prodromal AD subjects from natural history cohorts. Up to 50% of subjects will undergo dynamic scanning and have repeat imaging, for a total of 6000 amyloid PET scans. Main study goals include 1) diagnostic impact including patient-reported outcomes and healthcare resource utilization, 2) prognostic value and enrichment of treatment trials, and 3) quantitative assessment of treatment effects. In close collaboration with EPAD (www.ep-ad.org), the cohorts will be followed with careful longitudinal monitoring and MRI to determine (surrogate) outcomes of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. The consortium brings together a word-class team of highly synergistic partners to form a pan-European network including the most active PET sites. This will ensure effective access to patients and also maximise exposure to technical knowledge and disease modelling. In addition, AMYPAD will develop expertise in image data collection, including β-amyloid PET and MRI data from the EPAD project.
The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (Barcelonaβeta) is a new research infrastructure, constituted by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation and with the participation of the Pompeu Fabra University, dedicated to research on Alzheimer’s disease. The new building will be completed by summer 2014, and will contain excellent technical facilities including a research-dedicated 3T MR scanner, dedicated to clinical research on neurodegenerative diseases.
In collaboration with other AMYPAD partners, the responsibilities for this position includes:
· Develop technical procedures to enhance amyloid PET quantification;
· Engage in the management of the project;
· Modelling of amyloid PET data in disease models;
· Participate in analysis and publication of results;
· Participate in regular meetings with our partners throughout Europe;
Required Qualifications:
· PhD in neuroscience or image analysis;
· Excellent communication and writing skills;
· Experience with PET acquisition and analysis;
· Affiliation with (or experience with) project management.
· Ability to think independently and work collaboratively.
Benefits:
· Starting date: Jan 2017.
· The postdoctoral position is scheduled initially for two years (open to renewal).
· Salary will depend on experience.
Additional Information:
To apply, please submit a single PDF file containing the following: 1) Cover letter describing research interests and relevant background; 2) CV with list of publications; 3) The names of three individuals who could provide reference letters. All files or inquiries should be submitted electronically to: cminguillon@fpmaragall.org.
Deadline for submitting applications: November 4th 2016.