Job Opportunities


  • Faculty Appointment (Tenure-Track, Rank Open) – Cognition, Behavior, & Emotion

    The Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), part of Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation and Thomas Jefferson University, seeks a scientist to direct a line of research that aligns with the Institute’s focus on human translational neuroscience and neurorehabilitation in complement to existing programs. The successful applicant will have a tenure track faculty appointment at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. This opening represents an outstanding opportunity to work with leading researchers in a well-established but growing and vibrant environment. The successful candidate will benefit from MRRI’s history of strong research and clinical integration, as well as opportunities for collaboration with other research laboratories studying cognition, emotion, language, and motor control in persons with TBI, stroke, spinal cord injury, degenerative disorders, and limb amputations. Neuroimaging capabilities are available within The Jefferson Health System and via longstanding productive collaborations with faculty at The University of Pennsylvania. 

    The ideal candidate will have formal research training (PhD or equivalent + post-doctorate) and the ability to independently lead a research program, demonstrated by, for example, a track record of research productivity and extramural grant funding. Consideration will be given to physicians and other health specialists with a substantial research track record. Preference will be given to candidates with a history of funded research studying higher-order human functioning. Research may focus on healthy or neurologically impaired populations, and interests may include diverse functional domains, including attention, cognitive control, memory, spatial processing, emotional processing, and skilled action; as well as real-world functional outcomes such as community participation, social functioning, and behavioral health. Candidates will be considered who study brain regions and systems that are critical for cognition, behavior, and emotion, as well as how function is influenced by neurological conditions.  Applicants at any career stage are welcome to apply.

    Research at MRRI is supported by our Research Registry of inpatients and outpatients at Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation and members of the community who have agreed to be contacted for research opportunities.  Additional patient recruitment resources are available via the Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) program. Jefferson Moss-Magee and MRRI are part of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, one of the largest health systems in Philadelphia. MRRI faculty have access to a broad research infrastructure, including biostatistics, scientific writing, and established programs in basic and clinical neurosciences. Thomas Jefferson University is proud to offer our employees unparalleled career opportunities including competitive compensation, attractive benefits plans including medical/dental/vision coverage and generous vacation time. EOE; MRRI values diversity and encourages applications from under-represented groups.

    Interested candidates should submit a cover letter detailing research interests and future directions, CV, and 3 letters of reference to: Umesh.Venkatesan@jefferson.edu

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    Full-time Research Assistant – Language and Learning Lab

    Dr. Erica Middleton, Director of the Language and Learning Lab of Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (https://mrri.org/) announces an opening for a BA/BS-level research assistant supporting research on language processing in neurotypical speakers and stroke survivors with language and cognitive impairments. The position is now open and will continue for a minimum of two years. The position is hybrid-eligible.

    The Language and Learning Lab focuses on advancing an understanding of the cognitive basis of aphasia and mechanisms of language change in the service of promoting effective rehabilitation. The successful candidate will gain hands-on experience conducting basic and applied research with people with aphasia and neurotypical adults; will have opportunities for enrichment by participating in scholarly activities at MRRI; will have opportunities for contributing directly to products of research in the form of manuscript authorship or presentations, based on individual interest, experience, and ability.

    The Language and Learning lab conducts its work at MRRI, a unique environment with a highly active research community situated in the context of a rehabilitation hospital.

    With appropriate training and supervision, the successful candidate will:

    • recruit and schedule research participants from a database of volunteers
    • administer standardized assessments of cognitive and language function to people with aphasia and to neurologically intact individuals
    • help design and conduct experimental studies using computer-administered protocols, which may involve eye tracking, electrophysiological (EEG/ERP) measurement, brain lesion image segmentation and lesion-symptom mapping techniques, and telerehabilitation application development
    • manage, process, and analyze data, including speech samples
    • participate in other aspects of research and lab operation as warranted

    A bachelor’s degree is required for this position. Applicants should have a strong academic background in cognitive psychology/cognitive science, psycholinguistics, linguistics, speech & hearing science, and/or neuroscience, with coursework in statistics and research methods. Preference will be given to applicants with prior research experience with human subjects and coursework in relevant areas. Prior relevant clinical experience will also be considered. Other desired qualifications include excellent organizational and communication skills and demonstration of willingness and ability to flexibly learn new techniques in a dynamic environment.

    MRRI and Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Hospital are part of Thomas Jefferson University, an Equal Opportunity Employer located in the Philadelphia area.  As an employer, Jefferson maintains a commitment to provide equal access to employment. Jefferson values diversity and encourages applications from women, members of minority groups, LGBTQ individuals, disabled individuals, and veterans.

    Send a cover letter including, when applicable, a description of prior relevant research experience, C.V. (including a list of relevant coursework), and references. Letters of reference detailing performance in prior research or clinical roles are strongly preferred, but contact information for at least two professional references will be accepted, if necessary, in lieu of letters. Please email application materials to Dr. Anna Krason at anna.krason@jefferson.edu.

    Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The position is available immediately.

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    Full-time Research Assistant – Human Motor Recovery Lab

    The Human Motor Recovery lab headed by Dr. Dylan Edwards, who is also the director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, is looking for a proactive, tech-savvy Research Assistant to work on projects involving neuromodulation and rehabilitation with technology including telerehabilitation and robotics. Job responsibilities for this role will include:

    1. Assisting on funded studies involving Non-invasive brain stimulation assessments and treatment protocols, and intensive gaming/robotic-based training programs for improving upper limb deficits in population including spinal cord injury and stroke. Responsibilities include day-to-day implementation of study activities including recruiting, and scheduling participants, collecting data, maintaining participant records, assisting with literature reviews and manuscript preparation, maintaining study inventory etc.
    2. Assisting with building Spinal Cord Injury registry database for the MRRI Research Registry.

    A bachelor’s degree is required for this position.  Applicants should have a strong academic background or relevant experience in neuroscience, brain MRI analysis, biomedical engineering and/or neurophysiological data collection and analysis. Preference will be given to applicants with prior experience in relevant areas, including human subjects’ research and experience interacting with neurological population. Applicants able to commit to the position for two years will be given strong priority. 

    MRRI is a supportive, stimulating academic environment offering many training opportunities, including close collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, and is located near the vibrant city of Philadelphia. We offer competitive compensation, an attractive benefits plan including medical/dental/vision coverage, generous vacation time, and tuition reimbursement.

    MRRI and MossRehab are part of Thomas Jefferson University, an Equal Opportunity Employer located in the Philadelphia area. We strongly encourage applications from members of under-represented minorities in science.

    To apply, send an email with the subject line “RA-Human Motor Recovery Lab” to Sapna Kumar at sapna.kumar@jefferson.edu

    • cover letter including a description of prior relevant experience
    • resume/CV
    • contact information for 2-3 professional references

    Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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    Full-time Research Assistant – The Cognition and Action Lab

    Dr. Laurel Buxbaum Director of the Cognition and Action Lab has an opening beginning immediately for a full-time Research Assistant.

    The position involves assisting on two NIH-funded studies: 

    1) Arm use in stroke populations as relates to attention and motivation

    2) Virtual reality treatment for phantom limb pain. Both studies include behavioral experiments and state-of-the-art functional and structural neuroimaging.  Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute is a supportive, stimulating academic environment offering many training opportunities, including close collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and is located near the vibrant city of Philadelphia.

    We offer competitive compensation, an attractive benefits plan including medical/dental/vision coverage, generous vacation time, and tuition reimbursement. See our laboratory website at https://www.mrri.org/focus-areas/cognition-and-action-laboratory.

    Applicants should have a strong academic background (BA/BS or MA/MS) in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, motor control, kinesiology, or a related field, coursework and experience in statistics and research methods, excellent organizational, analytic, and interpersonal skills, and experience/facility in programming in EPrime, R, or Matlab. Prior human behavioral research lab experience is essential. 

    Applicants able to commit to the position for 2 years will be given strong priority. To apply, please email a cover letter detailing your experience with the above, specific interest in our work, CV including details of any technical, programming, and statistical skills, and the contact information for 2-3 professional references to Mr. Rand Williamson (Rand.Williamson@jefferson.edu) with the header “Research Assistant Cognition and Action Lab”. 

    Thomas Jefferson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage applications from members of under-represented minorities in neuroscience.

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    Post-doctoral fellowship in cognitive-motor neuroscience and neurorehabilitation

    The Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI) seeks a post-doctoral research fellow to join an exciting project investigating the cognitive and sensorimotor bases of arm nonuse after stroke. This is an exciting opportunity to make substantial contributions to a NIH-funded multi-disciplinary research program led by Drs. Laurel Buxbaum and Shailesh Kantak. The research involves innovating behavioral experiments using virtual reality, detailed clinical/behavioral phenotyping, and state-of-the-art structural and functional imaging.

    We welcome applications from individuals with a doctorate in psychology, cognitive science, movement science, and kinesiology who are interested in advancing research at the cognitive-motor interface in neurotypical and stroke survivors. Applicants must have a track record in research, clear comprehension of research methods and experimental design, experience in statistics, and skill/experience in programming in R, python and/or MATLAB. Duties and responsibilities involve coordinating and supervising research assistants for data collection, entry and processing; conducting statistical analyses, interpreting findings and contributing to presentations and publications for dissemination. Candidates with a keen interest in developing an independent research career will be given preference.

    Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, a part of Thomas Jefferson University, is a supportive, stimulating academic environment offering many training opportunities, including close collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, and is located near the vibrant city of Philadelphia. The fellow will also benefit from structured didactic and interactive educational sessions that are a part of the T-32 program at MRRI. We offer competitive compensation, an attractive benefits plan including medical/dental/vision coverage, generous vacation time, and tuition reimbursement. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer; we are committed to ensuring a range of diversity among our training classes, and we strive to select candidates representing different kinds of programs and theoretical orientations, geographic areas, ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientations, disabilities, and life experiences.

    To apply, please email a cover letter detailing experience with the above, specific interest in our work, CV including details of any technical, programming, and statistical skills, and the contact information for 2-3 professional references to Shailesh.kantak@Jefferson.edu with the header “Post-doctoral research Fellow at MRRI”.

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    Institute Scientist (Traumatic Brain Injury)

    The Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), part of MossRehab and the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, seeks a scientist to develop and direct a line of research that aligns with the Institute’s focus on human translational neuroscience and neurorehabilitation and complements existing programs. The successful applicant will have a tenure track faculty appointment at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, in the department of Rehabilitation Medicine. This opening represents an outstanding opportunity to work with leading researchers in a well-established but growing and vibrant environment. The successful candidate will benefit from MRRI’s history of strong research and clinical integration, as well as opportunities for collaboration with other research laboratories studying cognition, emotion, language, and motor control in persons with TBI and other populations. Neuroimaging capabilities are available via longstanding productive collaborations with faculty at The University of Pennsylvania.

    The ideal candidate will have formal research training (PhD), a demonstrated track record of research productivity, and show evidence of ability to independently lead a research program. Preference will be given to applicants at mid-career level with a track-record of funded research and practice in the area of traumatic brain injury. Consideration will be given to other relevant medical specialties and research MDs with a substantial track record, and highly productive early-career scientists who otherwise demonstrate suitability.

    MRRI and MossRehab have been designated by the federal government as a TBI Model System (TBIMS) since 1997. A Model System is a center of excellence for both treatment and research related to a particular disability. Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the Moss TBIMS provides state-of-the-art, research and potentially lifelong treatments for persons with TBI and their families in the Philadelphia region. As part of the TBIMS, Moss Investigators collaborate with a national network of leading TBI researchers and have access to the world’s largest longitudinal database of individuals with moderate to severe TBI. Additionally, the Moss TBIMS local database includes over 1,390 well-characterized research participants who have agreed to be contacted for future studies. MRRI maintains a separate research registry, which currently includes over 2,000 individuals aged 18-89 with stroke, TBI, and Parkinson’s Disease or Parkinson-like symptoms, as well as individuals who do not have a neurological condition.

    Moss Rehab and MRRI are part of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, one of the largest health systems in Philadelphia. Institute Scientists have academic appointments at Thomas Jefferson University, and access to a broad research infrastructure, including biostatistics, scientific writing, and established programs in basic and clinical neurosciences. Thomas Jefferson University is proud to offer our employees unparalleled career opportunities including competitive compensation, attractive benefits plan including medical/dental/vision coverage, generous vacation time, pension, and malpractice insurance. EOE; MRRI values diversity and encourages applications from under-represented groups.

    Interested candidates should submit a cover letter detailing research interests and future directions, CV, and 3 letters of reference to:


    Kevin Whelihan, Administrator
    Email: Kevin.Whelihan@jefferson.edu
    Mail: Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
    50 Township Line Road Elkins Park, PA 19027
    Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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    Student Volunteers

    On occasion, one or more of the Labs at MRRI accepts graduate or undergraduate students to assist with Lab activities for a limited period of time, typically during the summer. These are unpaid positions and may be full- or part-time. Send an email to the Director of the Lab(s) that interest you to inquire about availability of volunteer positions.

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    Equal Opportunity Employer

    As an employer, Jefferson maintains a commitment to provide equal access to employment. Jefferson values diversity and encourages applications from women, members of minority groups, LGBTQ individuals, disabled individuals, and veterans.

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