Post Doctoral Fellowship, Faculty Of Arts

Position Overview
Postdoctoral Scholar Position
Area: Maternal and/or Child Mental Health
Duration: One year, with possibility of extension
Start date: Negotiable start date, ideally September 1, 2023 or January 1, 2024
Salary: $65,000-70,000/year minimum (commensurate with experience), with a $5000 research allowance.
The Determinants of Child Development Lab in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar (PDS) supervised by Dr. Sheri Madigan and supported by the All Our Families Cohort team, on CIHR grant-funded research study investigating trajectories of maternal and child/adolescent mental health and help-seeking, with a strong focus on risk and resiliency factors across the lifespan. Additional information about Dr. Madigan and her research team can be found at https://psyc.ucalgary.ca/profiles/sheri-madigan and https://www.madiganlab.com/ , respectively. Her google scholar profile can be found here: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=j0n0wyAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
The All Our Families (AOF) study at the University of Calgary is a longitudinal cohort study about pregnancy, parenting, child development, mental health, and well-being. The AOF cohort began in 2008 with the recruitment of 3,200 Alberta mother-baby pairs. Mothers were recruited before they were 25-weeks of gestation, and the All Our Families study has continued to survey mothers regularly since this time. In 2020, we also began to survey the AOF children. With its multi-informant, multi-method, and multi-generational data, the AOF cohort provides an exceptional opportunity for life-course investigation of the relationship between prenatal, maternal, and early childhood events with trajectories of childhood development and health, taking into account many factors that influence child and family well-being. Information collected from this cohort is intended to allow for both ‘snapshot’ and life-course understanding of contemporary families. Additional information about the All Our Families cohort can be found here: http://allourfamiliesstudy.com/ and representative publications are listed below.
Hentges, R. F., Graham, S. A., Fearon, P., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2020). The chronicity and timing of prenatal and antenatal maternal depression and anxiety on child outcomes at age 5. Depression and Anxiety, 37(6), 576-586. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23039
Hentges, R. F., Graham, S. A., Plamondon, A., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2019). A
Developmental Cascade from Prenatal Stress to Child Internalizing and Externalizing
Problems. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 44(9), 1057-1067.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsz044
Madigan, S., Browne, D., Racine, N., Mori, C., & Tough, S. (2019). Association between screen time and children’s performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA pediatrics, 173(3), 244-250. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5056
McArthur, B. A., Racine, N., McDonald, S., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2021). Child and
family factors associated with child mental health and well-being during COVID-19.
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01849-9
Plamondon, A., McArthur, B. A., Eirich, R., Racine, N., McDonald, S., Tough, S., &
Madigan, S. (2023). Changes in Children’s Recreational Screen Time During the COVID-
19 Pandemic. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(6), 635-637. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0393
Racine, N., Hetherington, E., McArthur, B. A., McDonald, S., Edwards, S. A., Tough, S., &
Madigan, S. (2021). Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms before and during the COVID-19
pandemic in Canada: a longitudinal analysis. Lancet Psychiatry.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00074-2
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The PDS will work in a collaborative lab environment with other PDSs, graduate students, research assistants, and volunteers. The PDS will be responsible for preparing and cleaning pre-existing datasets for analysis, conducting advanced statistical analyses, writing manuscripts, knowledge translation (e.g., presentations, opinion-editorial, media opportunities), and participating in grant writing opportunities. We seek candidates who work collaboratively with cross-disciplinary colleagues and are committed to translating knowledge gained from research into the hands of youth and their families. Dr. Madigan and the University of Calgary view diversity of identity as a strength and resource. We are committed to creating a safe, transparent, and rich lab environment that fosters critical thought through respectful discussion and inclusion.
Outside of the abovementioned tasks, there will be opportunity to launch or engage in additional research studies of interest. The PDS will also be supported, if interested, to develop skills in grant writing, undergraduate teaching, co-supervision of honours and undergraduate students, and to contribute to the lab’s professional development activities. The PDS may also be supported to pursue professional registration as a Psychologist in Alberta, if applicable.
Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills
• Excellent independent time management skills
• A PhD in Psychology, Population & Public Health, Epidemiology, or a closely related field
• A strong publication record
• Strong organizational, analytical, interpretive and problem-solving skills in order to collect, process, and summarize data.
• Advanced writing skills
• A background in statistics and longitudinal data analysis, including familiarity with R and MPlus software
• Content expertise in mental health
• Effective collaborator and team player

Application details: Please send the following application materials in a single.PDF (file name: FirstName LastName_AOFpostdoc): a cover letter that describes relevant training and career goals, CV, up to three representative publications, and names of three references who could provide a letter upon request. Please email your application to Carole Lunney [email protected] and cc Sheri Madigan ( [email protected] ) with “AOF Postdoc Application” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
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 has reached its Eyes High goal 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. 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 the 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.