Postdoctoral Research Associate

Compensation: $63,480 - $66,950 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.

Position Summary

The Human Performance Laboratory and Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher to support a Department of Defense-funded project to identify urinary proteomic biomarkers of bone adaptation and injury in military recruits. Working closely with faculty investigators and research staff, the postdoctoral researcher will play central roles in scientific study operations, standardized assessment protocols, quantitative imaging, data analysis, interpretation, and dissemination.

This role will lead the development and implementation of standardized assessment protocols and will have primary responsibility for analysis of high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) data, including segmentation, quality control, feature extraction, and integration with clinical and biomarker data. The position is full-time. Military and VA clearance are required for base and hospital access.

Our generous benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision plans; paid parental leave; short term and long term disability plans; life insurance; flexible spending accounts; and a 403(b) retirement plan which includes a 8% employer contribution after 2 years of service. RFUMS is committed to employee wellbeing and work-life balance. Full time staff are eligible for 3 weeks of vacation/ personal leave, 15 sick days, and 9 paid holidays, paid winter break, plus two floating holidays.

Who We Are

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS), located in North Chicago, Illinois, is a graduate health sciences university comprising six schools and colleges. CLEAR, housed within the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, uses multidisciplinary approaches to improve lower-extremity health and function. CLEAR's Human Performance Laboratory supports federally funded research in biomechanics, injury prevention, human performance, neuroscience, and physiology.

The project brings together RFUMS, FHCC, Naval Station Great Lakes, and other clinical and research partners to identify and validate urinary biomarkers of healthy bone adaptation and bone stress injury in military recruits. The study includes longitudinal urine collection, HR-pQCT assessment of tibial bone density and microarchitecture, DXA assessment of body composition, anthropometric measurements, risk-factor assessments, and integrated analysis of imaging, clinical, and proteomic data using advanced statistical techniques.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the development, piloting, documentation, implementation, and refinement of standardized assessment protocols and SOPs; train study personnel in assigned procedures and document proficiency.
• Contribute to scientific study coordination, data collection, data organization, and monitoring of protocol adherence across study timepoints and partner sites.
• Develop and maintain reproducible workflows for imaging-data intake, participant and visit matching, preprocessing, analysis, version control, metadata, and provenance.
• Analyze HR-pQCT data using validated protocols, including image segmentation, motion and technical quality control, and extraction of bone-density and microstructural features.
• Analyze DXA data using validated, manufacturer-supported procedures, including scan quality control and extraction of lean mass, fat mass, and body-fat measures.
• Implement and document HR-pQCT and DXA quality-assurance procedures, including daily control-phantom review, predefined quality thresholds, repeat-analysis decisions, and exclusions.
• Organize, preprocess, and harmonize imaging, clinical, risk-factor, and biomarker datasets; maintain data dictionaries, analysis-ready files, and traceable quality-control records.
• Conduct advanced longitudinal and integrative statistical analyses under faculty-approved analysis plans, using reproducible code and explicit validation checks.
• Interpret findings with the multidisciplinary study team and coordinate imaging and clinical data harmonization with the faculty-led bioinformatics and proteomics teams.
• Prepare analysis summaries, figures, tables, manuscripts, conference abstracts and presentations, progress-report materials, and other dissemination products.

Conditions of Employment

• Must achieve satisfactory results from a background check and obtain and maintain required human-subjects protection, data-security, laboratory-safety, imaging, and site-access training or credentials.
• Must be willing and able to work on site, travel to partner and field locations, and occasionally work outside standard hours when required by study operations.

Required Education & Experience

• Doctoral degree completed by the start date in biomedical engineering, biological science, kinesiology, biochemistry, bone biology, biostatistics, medical imaging, bioinformatics, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative research, data analysis, and scientific writing, with evidence of the ability to manage, complete, and communicate rigorous research.

Required Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Working knowledge of longitudinal study designs, statistical modeling, and integration of multimodal human-subjects data.
• Strong scientific judgment, organization, and written and verbal communication, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary, multi-site team.
• Ability to maintain reproducible analysis workflows, clear documentation, secure data organization, and traceable quality-control decisions.
• Knowledge of quantitative image analysis, segmentation, and quality-control principles for biomedical or clinical imaging data.
• Proficiency in at least one scientific programming environment such as R, Python, or MATLAB, including scripted data processing, visualization, and statistical analysis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with longitudinal human-subjects, multi-site, military-health, or operational research and with preparing peer-reviewed manuscripts and scientific presentations.
• Direct experience with HR-pQCT, DXA, quantitative computed tomography, or related bone and body-composition imaging methods.
• Experience analyzing bone density, bone microarchitecture, musculoskeletal adaptation, or bone stress injury outcomes.
• Experience integrating imaging with clinical, behavioral, physiological, biomarker, or omics data.

Typical Physical Demands & Working Conditions

• The selected candidate must be able to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations.
• Work includes extended computer use, on-site imaging and research activities, and occasional handling or transport of study equipment and supplies.

EOE, Including Disability / Vets