What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Fellow in Swallowing, Breathing, and Spinal Cord Injury Research position at University of Florida College of Medicine?
Project Focus: Mechanisms of Swallowing Dysfunction in a Translational Rodent Model of Chronic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Vose and Gonzalez-Rothi Laboratories | University of Florida
We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join an NIH-funded translational neurorehabilitation research program focused on swallowing dysfunction after cervical spinal cord injury. The fellow will contribute to studies that use a clinically relevant rodent model of C3/4 cervical contusion to determine how upper airway motor output, swallow biomechanics, and respiratory-swallow coordination change from acute to chronic SCI. This position spans the Gonzalez-Rothi and Vose laboratories, integrating expertise in spinal cord injury, respiratory neurophysiology, swallowing biomechanics, and neuroanatomy.
The fellow will lead experiments and receive advanced training in:
- Cervical spinal cord injury models
- Electromyography of upper airway and respiratory muscles
- Rodent videofluoroscopic swallow studies
- Computational Analysis of Swallowing Mechanics for Rodents (CASM-R)
- Brainstem neuroanatomy and immunohistochemistry
- Quantitative image analysis and morphometrics
Ideal candidates will have:
- PhD in neuroscience, speech/swallowing science, physiology, biomedical engineering, rehabilitation science, or a related field
- Experience with rodent surgery and/or neurophysiology preferred
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Interest in developing an independent, NIH-funded research program
Training environment
The fellow will train within a highly collaborative translational environment anchored by the UF Breathing Research and Therapeutic (BREATHE) Center, a multidisciplinary respiratory research hub housed in the McKnight Brain Institute. The BREATHE Center unites basic scientists, clinician-scientists, and rehabilitation researchers focused on respiratory motor control, airway defense, spinal cord injury, and neuromuscular disorders that compromise breathing.
- Interested applicants should submit a CV, a brief statement of research interests, and contact information for three references to Alicia K. Vose, PhD (Alicia.vose@jax.ufl.edu) and Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, PhD (elisagon@phhp.ufl.edu).