Postdoctoral Researcher (Simultaneous fMRI and Deep Brain Stimulation)

Union: Non-Union
Number of vacancies: 1
Site: Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street
Department: Research
Reports to: Principal Investigator
Hours: 35 hours per week
Shifts: Day
Status: Temporary Full-time
Closing Date: February 13, 2026

Job Summary
A Postdoctoral Researcher is being sought to support a research program in simultaneous functional MRI (fMRI) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at Toronto Western Hospital. This position is based at the Krembil Brain Institute and is supervised by Dr. Alexandre Boutet, MD PhD, Dr. Jurgen Germann, PhD, and Dr. Andres Lozano, MD PhD.

Dr. Alexandre Boutet is a neuroradiologist and early career clinician scientist. He serves as the Slaight Neuroradiology Lead for Clinical Translation at the University Health Network. He focuses on high field fMRI methods for deep brain stimulation, advanced MR techniques for focused ultrasound, and safety frameworks that have enabled spine and brain imaging in patients with implanted DBS devices. He integrates clinical imaging, MR physics, focused ultrasound, and computational approaches to advance image guided neuromodulation.

Dr. Jurgen Germann is a neuroimaging scientist with extensive expertise in neuroimaging analysis.

Dr. Andres Lozano is a world renowned functional neurosurgeon who has several landmark publications in neuromodulation.

This fellowship supports an NIH funded project that will acquire concurrent DBS stimulation with whole brain fMRI at 3T to identify biomarkers of neuromodulation in movement disorders. The goal is to map whole brain activity patterns during stimulation and to establish imaging biomarkers that predict clinical response and optimal stimulation. The role includes collaborations with Movement Disorders Neurology (Dr. Alfonso Fasano) and GE HealthCare.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement task based and resting state fMRI paradigms for DBS patients.
• Coordinate imaging sessions with neurology and neurosurgery teams.
• Develop preprocessing and analysis workflows for stimulation conditioned BOLD responses.
• Perform network level analyses, including connectivity, graph metrics, and network modeling.

• PhD in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, neuroimaging, medical physics, or a related discipline.
• Strong experience with fMRI methods, neuroimaging pipelines, and statistical modeling.
• Familiarity with DBS, neuromodulation, or intracranial electrophysiology is helpful.
• Interest in translational neuroimaging and mechanistic approaches to movement disorders.

Opportunities

• Work within one of the leading DBS imaging programs internationally.
• Access to 3T MRI, large clinical cohorts, and surgical electrophysiology data.
• Ability to contribute to a landmark first in human imaging methodology.

This position may be eligible for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt work permit under applicable federal immigration regulations.

Why join UHN?
In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates.  Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.