News Posts by Catherine Lebel

Area: Neuroimaging of human brain development            

Duration: 2 years             

Start date: January 2024 (flexible)

Salary: $50k/annum + benefits    

The Department of Radiology in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar to join an interdisciplinary multisite team developing a new longitudinal neurodevelopmental cohort.

Job Description:

The postdoc will work with Drs. Catherine Lebel and Signe Bray on projects related to characterizing brain development using a new multisite longitudinal cohort sample (800 participants imaged up to three times) and novel brain features and approaches. This is a 2-year position with the possibility of extension.

Drs. Bray and Lebel are founding members of the Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program based out of the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Our labs use the on-site research-dedicated 3T MRI to study multimodal brain development and factors influencing development including prenatal exposures, birth complications, neurodevelopmental diagnoses, and mental illness. We are co-leading a new multi-site study along with Drs. Anne Wheeler (SickKids) and Patricia Conrod (Ste-Justine).

This postdoctoral project aligns with the University of Calgary priorities in Brain and Mental Health and Child Health and Wellness. Drs. Bray and Lebel are members of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), which offer high quality professional development opportunities (e.g., HBI-REALISE; https://hbi.ucalgary.ca/education/realise).

Qualifications:

Applicants should have interest in brain development, mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions and have a background in neuroscience, psychology, physics, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline. Experience with neuroimaging and strong data analytic skills are required. It is highly desirable that applicants have experience conducting research in an interdisciplinary environment.

Application details:  

Our labs and the University of Calgary are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI; https://www.ucalgary.ca/equity-diversity-inclusion) and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest and CV to slbray@ucalgary.ca and clebel@ucalgary.ca.  

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, and champions transdisciplinary approaches. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

Additional information

The terms and conditions of employment are covered under the UCalgary and PDAC Collective Agreement. To find out more about postdoctoral scholar program at the University of Calgary visit our Postdocs website.  

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 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 professional success while they are here. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.

Postdoctoral Scholar Position in Neuroimaging/Epigenetics                    

Duration: 2 years          

Start date: Spring/summer 2023 or negotiable    

Salary: $55,000/yr + benefits

The Departments of Pediatrics and Radiology at the University of Calgary are accepting applications for a postdoctoral scholar to work with Drs. Gerald Giesbrecht and Catherine Lebel in the area of neuroimaging and epigenetics. This is an interdisciplinary position involving both mouse models of neurodevelopment and human pediatric neuroimaging. Applicants should have experience in neuroimaging and/or neurodevelopment and an interest in fetal environment.

Dr. Giesbrecht is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics who studies stress and child development. Dr. Lebel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology who studies brain development. They co-lead the Pregnancy during the Pandemic (PdP) study, which is studying the impact of maternal prenatal stress during the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s development. The PdP study collected physical and mental health information, as well as life changes in response to COVID-19 in >9000 pregnant individuals across Canada. We continue to follow the children born to these individuals, measuring their development through surveys, biosamples, and neuroimaging. The postdoctoral scholar will work with Drs. Giesbrecht and Lebel to study links between prenatal maternal stress, children’s epigenetic profiles and brain imaging (structural and/or functional MRI).

Applicants should have a PhD in neuroscience, medical sciences, psychology, or other relevant discipline, and experience with MR image processing and/or epigenetic analysis. Applicants should submit a letter of interest, CV, graduate transcript, and names and contact information for at least two referees to clebel@ucalgary.ca and ggiesbre@ucalgary.ca.

The PDS will be affiliated with the University of Calgary and the Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI).  The Owerko Centre is a state-of-the-art research space dedicated to promoting collaborative neurodevelopmental and mental health research across the University of Calgary and its affiliated hospitals. ACHRI brings together over 300 interdisciplinary scientists to find new ways of understanding and treating child behavioural, emotional, cognitive, and physical health. 

The University of Calgary is a leading Canadian university located in the nation’s most enterprising city. 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.

Named a cultural capital of Canada and one of the best places to live in the world, 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 majestic Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

If interested in this position, please apply here: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/11534462-postdoctoral-scholar-paediatrics-and-radiology-cumming-school-of-medicine

The members of our lab have put together a few short videos to describe their research findings over the past year or so. If you had any further questions about any of the videos, feel free to email our lab and we would love to get you more informed!

September 9th was FASD awareness day. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a brain-based disorder that is very common. It is estimated to affect 4% of Canadians. People with FASD may face a variety of learning, behaviour, and mental health challenges throughout their lives. With the right supports, people with FASD can be very successful.

Our lab works hard to better udnerstand the brain basis of FASD and its links with mental health. Yesterday, we walked in support of FASD Awareness Day.

Check out our projects, or learn more about participating in our research.

We are hiring a research coordinator! Looking for someone who is keen on working with children and families to oversee multiple research projects in the lab related to brain development, mental health, and reading. This is a full time position renewable annually. Apply here: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/7023547-research-coordinator-radiology-cumming-school-of-medicine

Most mental health problems emerge in adolescence. Understanding the early roots of mental health problems may help to identify them early and provide more effective interventions.  

In our lab, we study mental health from the prenatal period to early adulthood. For example, see our Pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic study, which is looking at how mental health is affected in pregnancy during the pandemic and the resulting impacts on children. We also study links between internalizing and externalizing behavior in adolescence.  

Currently we are extending this work to understand brain alterations in children and youth with prenatal exposures, most of whom experience mental health challenges. 

Stay tuned for more exciting work on brain and mental health coming out of the Developmental Neuroimaging Lab!! 

Dr. Lebel was a guest on Jeff Noble’s FASD success show where they chatted about brain development and how the brains of neuro-typical individuals may be different from those who have experienced prenatal alcohol exposure.  

They dove right into the following questions,

-Is it necessary, important or even helpful to get an MRI for an individual with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?
-Can the FASD brain grow?
-Can you re-write an FASD brain like you can with other brain injuries?
-Is there a catch up period in development with individuals with FASD?
-Is there any good research about supplements helping the FASD brain?
-Do therapy’s like neuro-feedback have any noticeable and long term effects?

Click the link below for the full episode!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/714360/2868208-010-mri-s-and-the-fasd-brain-with-dr-catherine-lebel

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Dr. Lebel and some of our lab members enjoyed a winter hike to the top of Sulphur Mountain with a visiting Post- Doc.

Over the holiday season the Developmental Neuroimaging Lab took the time to come together and connect with our community by volunteering for the Calgary Food Bank!

Congratulations to Lebel lab members Bryce Geeraert, Ph.D student and to Post-Doc’s Jess Reynolds & Kathryn Manning on their poster awards at the ACHRI retreat!

@kat_y_manning, @Jess_E_Reynolds, @Gearheart_B