Careers

Why would you want to work in the NIST lab? The exceptional environment:
  • As head of the NIST lab, Dr. Collins‘ goals in graduate supervision are: 1. To encourage and enhance scientific creativity and imagination; 2. To teach the scientific method: i.e., hypothesis building, experimentation, statistical analysis and the interpretation of results as well as ethical considerations of research; 3. To empower grad students with the ability to think critically and to think for themselves as opposed to simply memorizing facts and formulas; 4. To help grad students become skillful communicators through paper writing and conference presentations; 5. To help students develop confidence in their expertise; 6. To maintain an environment where graduate students can become independent researchers; and 7. to help graduate students further their careers.  Many of NIST graduates have gone on to academic positions or research positions in industry.
  • For RA positions, Dr. Collins‘ goals are to build a rich environment where the Research Assistant/Research Associate can make contributions to advance science.  RAs are an integral part of the NIST lab research team.
  • The Neuro Imaging and Surgical Technologies (NIST) laboratory at the Brain Imaging Center (BIC) of the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) is home to ~20 students, clinical fellows and engineers, working together to develop image analysis tools with applications in neurology and neurosurgery. The NIST lab has a large number of international collaborators. The NIST lab is funded by CIHR, NSERC, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, the Weston Foundation, Brain Canada, and MedTeq.
  • The BIC is home to world-class researchers with a common interest and multidisciplinary expertise in brain imaging. Established in 1984, it is a multidisciplinary hub for a broad community of basic-science and clinical investigators and trainees, long recognized as an international leader in neuroimaging domains including PET, MRI, EEG, and MEG acquisition as well as sophisticated analytical techniques. It is one of the largest academic brain-imaging centres worldwide, with 23 principal investigators, over 80 top-tier affiliated faculty, 24 highly qualified core personnel and 100+ trainees.
  • The MNI is integrated with the Montreal Neurological Hospital (MNH), a tertiary hospital with clinics specialized in neurology and neurosurgery. The NIST lab collaborates closely with the neurological and neurosurgical teams of the MNI/H.
  • McGill University ranks among the top 25 universities worldwide and has been Canada’s top-ranked biomedical institutions for the last 10 years. The neuroscience community in the greater Montreal is one of the largest and most diverse in North America. Montreal is a multicultural and lively city that offers an extremely high quality of life.
How to apply: Highly qualified and interested applicants should prepare an electronic application in a single PDF file named LastName.FirstName.JobID.pdf . The PDF file should contain:
  1. a one to two page cover letter outlining your career goals, how you meet the specific requirements of the position (and for PhD and PDF applicants, a description of the scientific questions you would like to pursue in the NIST lab),
  2. contact info for two references,
  3. a full CV, and
  4. for PhD and PDF applicants, a sample publication.
  5. for PhD applicants only, a copy of your transcript for your undergraduate and masters degrees.
This information should be sent by email with the JobID in the subject line to Dr. Louis Collins. Note for potential post-docs: Please refer to McGill’s requirements on postdoctoral appointments, for conditions and additional information on the status of the position. [In Quebec, a Postdoctoral Fellow is a full‐time student status and trainee category, and the Ministère de l’Education, Enseignement Supérieur et Recherche (MESRS) stipulates that all postdocs must be registered on a university student registration system.] Please note that non‐Canadian postdoctoral fellows must have valid Citizenship or an Immigration Canada (CIC) work permit to legally work in Canada.
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