Postdoctoral Positions in the Neuroscience of Meditation at
Harvard Medical School and Mass General

The Meditation Research Program of Harvard Medical School and Mass General is recruiting fully funded postdoctoral scientists. The successful candidate(s) will be hired with the academic appointment of Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

The Meditation Research Program (Directed by Dr. Matthew D. Sacchet; https://meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/) advances the science of meditation, and in particular the science of advanced meditation including meditative development and meditative endpoints. The Program’s studies span and integrate affective and cognitive neuroscience, applied phenomenology and philosophy, clinical psychology and psychiatry, computer science and related computational disciplines, contemplative and religious studies, neuroimaging and electrophysiology, psychometrics and psychological assessment, and psychosomatic medicine.

The Program is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. The department is exceptional across domains of care, research, training, and service and has held the #1 position in psychiatry in the United States for 20 of the past 26 years according to the U.S. News & World Report. The Martinos Center (https://www.martinos.org/) is a vibrant world premier neuroimaging research center devoted to the development and application of advanced biomedical imaging technologies.

Successful candidates will be expected to lead and collaborate on projects at the cutting-edge of the neuroscience of advanced meditation. The candidate will have access to extensive existing and newly acquired data. Opportunities will be available to pursue independent research and interdisciplinary collaborations across Harvard Medical School and beyond. Depending on research focus and fit, candidates will have access to research-dedicated human MRI scanners (+10 systems including two 7T) as well as concurrent MEG/high-density EEG.

Qualifications: A strong background in human neuroimaging (specifically fMRI) and/or electrophysiology (EEG and/or MEG) is required. Expertise in the neuroscience of meditation is desired though not required. Experience with other neuroimaging modalities and in computational approaches (e.g., computational modeling) will also be considered.

To apply: Send a CV, a cover letter describing research experience and interests, as well as names and email addresses of three references to Dr. Sacchet (msacchet@mgh.harvard.edu). Review of applications is ongoing, and the expected start date is flexible.

About Mass General and Harvard Medical School
Since 1811, Mass General has been a world leader in scientific investigation and biomedicine as well as in training generations of scientists and clinicians. Mass General is the original, largest, and flagship affiliate and teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. Named the #1 psychiatry program in the country for 20 of the past 26 years, the Department of Psychiatry now has more than 600 affiliated psychiatrists and psychologists trained as clinicians, researchers, and teachers, and over 70 million dollars in annual research spending. Mass General is in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and has over 1,000 beds, and every year handles approximately 4,000,000 outpatients, 50,000 inpatients, 110,00 emergency room visits, and 42,000 operations. Individuals travel from more than 140 countries to receive care at Mass General.

Mass General’s researchers have pioneered significant scientific advances, including the first public demonstration of ether in 1846 and the introduction of x-rays, electrocardiograms, radioactive iodine, proton therapy, 3-dimensional mammogram imaging technology, and the functional MRI. Mass General researchers identified the first genes for Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, ALD and mitral valve prolapse, as well as developing the first telemedicine system, the first artificial arm and the first commercially producible synthetic skin.