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[EXPIRED] The Capital Region of Copenhagen is looking for a postdoc in multimodal imaging of brain structural networks within developmental neuropsychiatry

Are you interested in unravelling how alterations in developing brain structure and connectivity contribute to developmental psychiatric disorders? Do you thrive working in inspiring multidisciplinary teams, which bridge between computational modelling, brain mapping, and clinical neuroscience? Then you are the person we are looking for!

The Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) at Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre (Denmark) is seeking a 3-year postdoc in multimodal imaging and brain structural networks within the field of developmental psychiatry. Together with our strong clinical collaborators at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, we are currently running the prospective Danish High Risk and Resilience Study (VIA) (www.drcmr.dk/via). The VIA study longitudinally follows the largest register-based cohort of children (n=522) in the world born to parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or none of these disorders. Studying children with familial high risk offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into the early disease processes and mechanisms. Children were assessed at the ages of 7, 11, and 15 years. Neuroimaging was included at age 11 and onwards. We are currently finalizing the first longitudinal neuroimaging follow-up at age 15 years and the follow-up at age 19 years starts this summer.

You will mainly be working on the longitudinal VIA data, with a focus on structural and diffusion-weighted image processing. The project includes brain network analysis, such as structural covariance and connectivity analyses, and normative modelling. You will be a member of the “Brain Maturation” (www.drcmr.dk/brain-maturation) and “VIA project” (www.drcmr.dk/via) groups at DRCMR and have ample possibilities to interact with researchers who are working on related multimodal neuroimaging studies. We have multiple ongoing projects in different pediatric populations aiming at studying typical and atypical development from birth to early adulthood in health and disease.

The postdoc position involves a tight collaboration with Prof. Andrew Zalesky (https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/azalesky/) with the possibility to visit Prof. Zalesky’s lab at University of Melbourne, Australia. Prof. Zalesky and his group have developed the network-based statistic (NBS) tool that has been used in numerous published studies to map brain network dysfunction. The position also includes a collaboration with Prof. Merete Nordentoft (Region Hovedstaden - Psychiatry and University of Copenhagen) as the main PI of the VIA cohort study and the VIA neuroimaging group, including neuroimagers at DRCMR and the Center of Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus, Denmark.

Your profile:

You are a highly dedicated and dynamic postdoctoral researcher with the following qualifications:

  • You hold a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering or a related field.
  • You have experience with structural and/or diffusion MR data analysis.
  • You are interested in computational modeling of multimodal brain imaging data, previous experience would be advantageous.
  • You have an interest and/or experience in mechanisms/pathophysiology related to child- and adolescent mental health and developmental neuropsychiatry.
  • You enjoy being part of a multidisciplinary and international research team and integrating technological innovations into your neuroscience research.
  • You have documented programming experience in e.g., Matlab or Python.
  • As a person, you have a good team spirit, are innovative and constructive as well as possess research excitement.
  • You possess good English communication skills.

The project will be carried out at the DRCMR, which is a leading research centre for biomedical MRI in Europe (www.drcmr.dk) focusing on the brain. Approx. 75 researchers from more that 20 countries and a diverse range of disciplines are currently pursuing basic and clinically applied MR research and its validation with a focus on structural, functional, and metabolic MRI of the human brain and its disorders. The DRCMR is embedded in the Center for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, a large diagnostic imaging department including all biomedical imaging modalities at the Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre.

The DRCMR has a state-of-the-art research infrastructure for preclinical and human medical imaging, which includes six whole-body MR scanners (one 7T, four 3T and one 1.5T scanners), a preclinical 7T scanner, a High-Performance Computer cluster and several state-of-the-art laboratories for electrophysiology and non-invasive brain stimulation.


The postdoc project will be supervised by Senior Researcher Kathrine Skak Madsen and co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristoffer Hougaard Madsen, Prof. Andrew Zalesky, and Prof. Hartwig Siebner.

Selected Publications

Dunås T, Wåhlin A, Nyberg L, Boraxbekk C-J. 2021. Multimodal Image Analysis of Apparent Brain Age Identifies Physical Fitness as Predictor of Brain Maintenance. Cerebral Cortex. 31(7):3393-3407. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab019

Hansen AL, Boraxbekk C-J, Petersen ET, Paulson OB, Andersen O, Siebner HR, Marsman A. 2021. Do glia provide the link between low-grade systemic inflammation and normal cognitive ageing? A 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 7 tesla. Journal of Neurochemistry. 159(1):185-196.

Nyberg L, Magnussen F, Lundquist A, Baaré W, Bartrés-Faz D, Bertram L, Boraxbekk CJ, Brandmaier AM, Drevon CA, Ebmeier K, Ghisletta P, Henson RN, Junqué C, Kievit R, Kleemeyer M, Knights E, Kühn S, Lindenberger U, Penninx BWJH, Pudas S, Sørensen Ø, Vaqué-Alcázar L, Walhovd KB, Fjell AM. 2021. Educational attainment does not influence brain aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 118(18):1-3. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2101644118

Sandberg P, Boraxbekk C-J, Zogaj I, Nyberg L. 2021. Ancient Mnemonic in New Format-Episodic Memory Training With the Method of Loci in a Smart Phone Application. Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 76(4):681-691. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa216

Vidal-Pineiro D, Wang Y, Krogsrud SK, Amlien IK, Baaré WF, Bartres-Faz D, Bertram L, Brandmaier AM, Drevon CA, Düzel S, Ebmeier K, Henson RN, Junqué C, Kievit RA, Kühn S, Leonardsen E, Lindenberger U, Madsen KS, Magnussen F, Mowinckel AM, Nyberg L, Roe JM, Segura B, Smith SM, Sørensen Ø, Suri S, Westerhausen R, Zalesky A, Zsoldos E, Walhovd KB, Fjell A. 2021. Individual variations in 'brain age' relate to early-life factors more than to longitudinal brain change. eLife. 10:1-19. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.69995

Lind, A., Boraxbekk, C.J., Petersen, E.T., Paulsson, O., Siebner, H., & Marsman, A. (2020). Regional myo-inositol, creatine and choline levels are higher at older age and scale negatively with visuo-spatial working memory: A cross-sectional proton MR spectroscopy study at 7 tesla on normal cognitive ageing. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(42), 8149-8159.

Nyberg, L., Boraxbekk, C.J., Eriksson Sörman, D., Hansson, P., Herlitz, A., Kauppi, K., Ljungberg, J.K., Lövheim, H., Lundquist, A., Nordin Adolfsson, A., Oudin, A., Pudas, S., Rönnlund, M., Stiernstedt, M., Sundström, A., & Adolfsson, R. (2020). Biological and environmental predictors of heterogeneity in neurocognitive ageing: Evidence from Betula and other longitudinal studies. Ageing Research Reviews.

Gylling AT, Bloch-Ibenfeldt M, Eriksen CS, Ziegler AK, Wimmelmann CL, Baekgaard M, Boraxbekk CJ, Siebner HR, Mortensen EL, & Kjaer M. (2020). Maintenance of muscle strength following a one-year resistance training program in older adults. Experimental Gerontology, 139.

Eskilsson, T., Fjellman-Wiklund, A., Ek Malmer, E., Stigsdotter Neely, A., Malmberg Gavelin, H., Slunga Järvholm, L., Boraxbekk, C-J. & Nordin, M.(2020). Hopeful struggling for health: Experiences of participating in computerized cognitive training and aerobic training for persons with stress-related exhaustion disorder. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.

Friedman, B. B., Suri, S., Solé-Padullés, C., Düzel, S., Drevon, C. A., Baaré, W. F. C., Bartrés-Faz, D., Fjell, A. M., Johansen-Berg, H., Madsen, K. S., Nyberg, L., Penninx, B. W. J. H., Sexton, C., Walhovd, K. B., Zsoldos, E. & Budin-Ljøsne, I. (2020). Are People Ready for Personalized Brain Health? Perspectives of Research Participants in the Lifebrain Consortium. The Gerontologist.

Hansen, A. L., Boraxbekk, C-J., Petersen, E. T., Paulson, O. B., Siebner, H. R. & Marsman, A. (2020). Regional glia-related metabolite levels are higher at older age and scale negatively with visuo-spatial working memory: A cross-sectional proton MR spectroscopy study at 7 tesla on normal cognitive ageing. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. 36 p., 864496.

Karalija, N., Jonassson, L., Johansson, J., Papenberg, G., Salami, A., Andersson, M., Riklund, K., Nyberg, L. & Boraxbekk, C-J. (2020). High long-term test-retest reliability for extrastriatal 11C-raclopride binding in healthy older adults.
Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism.

Wheeler, M. J., Green, D. J., Ellis, K. A., Cerin, E., Heinonen, I., Naylor, L. H., Larsen, R., Wennberg, P., Boraxbekk, C-J., Lewis, J., Eikelis, N., Lautenschlager, N. T., Kingwell, B. A., Lambert, G., Owen, N. & Dunstan, D. W. (2020).
Distinct effects of acute exercise and breaks in sitting on working memory and executive function in older adults: a three-arm, randomised cross-over trial to evaluate the effects of exercise with and without breaks in sitting on cognition.
British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Bangsbo, J., Blackwell, J., Boraxbekk, C-J., Caserotti, P., Dela, F., Evans, A. B., Jespersen, A. P., Gliemann, L., Kramer, A. F., Lundbye-Jensen, J., Mortensen, E. L., Lassen, A. J., Gow, A. J., Harridge, S. D. R., Hellsten, Y., Kjaer, M., Kujala, U. M., Rhodes, R. E., Pike, E. C. J., Skinner, T., Skovgaard, T., Troelsen, J., Tulle, E., Tully, M. A., van Uffelen, J. G. Z. & Viña, J. (2019). Copenhagen Consensus statement 2019: physical activity and ageing. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 53, 14, p. 856-858.

Bojsen-Møller, E., Boraxbekk, C-J., Ekblom, Ö., Blom, V. & Ekblom, M. M. (2019). Relationships between Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Cognitive Functions in Office Workers.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 16, 23, p. 1-15, 4721.

Düzel, E., Acosta-Cabronero, J., Berron, D., Biessels, G. J., Björkman-Burtscher, I., Bottlaender, M., Bowtell, R., Buchem, M. V., Cardenas-Blanco, A., Boumezbeur, F., Chan, D., Clare, S., Costagli, M., de Rochefort, L., Fillmer, A., Gowland, P., Hansson, O., Hendrikse, J., Kraff, O., Ladd, M. E., Ronen, I., Petersen, E., Rowe, J. B., Siebner, H., Stoecker, T., Straub, S., Tosetti, M., Uludag, K., Vignaud, A., Zwanenburg, J. & Speck, O. (2019). European Ultrahigh-Field Imaging Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND). Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 11, p. 538-549.

Hedlund, M., Lindelöf, N., Johansson, B., Boraxbekk, C-J. & Rosendahl, E. (2019). Development and Feasibility of a Regulated, Supramaximal High-Intensity Training Program Adapted for Older Individuals. Frontiers in physiology. 10, p. 1-12, 590.

Holm, S. K., Madsen, K. S., Vestergaard, M., Born, A. P., Paulson, O. B., Siebner, H. R., Uldall, P. & Baaré, W. F. C. (2019). Previous glucocorticoid treatment in childhood and adolescence is associated with long-term differences in subcortical grey matter volume and microstructure. NeuroImage. Clinical. 23, p. 1-11, 101825. 

Jonasson, L. S., Nyberg, L., Axelsson, J., Kramer, A. F., Riklund, K. & Boraxbekk, C-J. (2019). Higher striatal D2-receptor availability in aerobically fit older adults but non-selective intervention effects after aerobic versus resistance training. NeuroImage. 202, p. 1-10, 116044.

Magnusson, P. O., Boer, V. O., Marsman, A., Paulson, O. B., Hanson, L. G. & Petersen, E. T. (2019). Gamma-aminobutyric acid edited echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) with MEGA-sLASER at 7T.
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. 81, 2, p. 773-780.

Månsson, K. N. T., Lindqvist, D., Yang, L. L., Svanborg, C., Isung, J., Nilsonne, G., Bergman-Nordgren, L., El Alaoui, S., Hedman-Lagerlöf, E., Kraepelien, M., Högström, J., Andersson, G., Boraxbekk, C-J., Fischer, H., Lavebratt, C., Wolkowitz, O. M. & Furmark, T. (2019). Improvement in indices of cellular protection after psychological treatment for social anxiety disorder. Translational psychiatry. 9, p. 1-10, 340.

Marsman, A. & Pol, H. H. (2019). Glutamaterge neurotransmissie. Handboek schizofreniespectrumstoornissen. 2nd udg. De Tijdstroom/Boom, Bind 2019. p. 370-385..

Malmberg Gavelin, H., Eskilsson, T., Boraxbekk, C.J., Josefsson, M., Stigsdotter Neely, A., & Slunga Järvholm L. (2018). Rehabilitation for improved cognition in patients with stress-related exhaustion disorder: RECO – a randomized clinical trial. Stress.

Boraxbekk, C.-J. (2018). Non-invasive brain stimulation and neuro-enhancement in aging. Clinical Neurophysiology, 129, 464-65.

Baruël Johansen, L., Madsen, K. S., Andersen, K. W., Madsen, K. H., Siebner, H. R. & Baaré, W. F. C. (2017) Reduced orbitofrontal functional network centrality characterizes high neuroticism across childhood and adolescence.

Stomby, A., Otten, J., Ryberg, M., Nyberg, L., Olsson, T. & Boraxbekk, C-J. (2017). A Paleolithic Diet with and without Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Increases Functional Brain Responses and Hippocampal Volume in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 9, 391.

Jonasson, L. S., Axelsson, J., Riklund, K. & Boraxbekk, C.-J. (2017). Simulating effects of brain atrophy in longitudinal PET imaging with an anthropomorphic brain phantom.
Physics in Medicine and Biology. 62, 13, p. 5213-5227.

Gavelin, H. M., Neely, A. S., Andersson, M., Eskilsson, T., Järvholm, L. S. & Boraxbekk, C-J. (2017). Neural activation in stress-related exhaustion: Cross-sectional observations and interventional effects.
Psychiatry Research. 269, p. 17-25.

Flodin, P., Jonasson, L. S., Riklund, K., Nyberg, L. & Boraxbekk, C.-J. (2017). Does Aerobic Exercise Influence Intrinsic Brain Activity?: An Aerobic Exercise Intervention among Healthy Old Adults.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 9, p. 267.

Eskilsson, T., Slunga Järvholm, L., Malmberg Gavelin, H., Stigsdotter Neely, A. & Boraxbekk, C-J. (2017). Aerobic training for improved memory in patients with stress-related exhaustion: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 17, 322, p. 1-10, 322.

Bas-Hoogendam, J. M., van Steenbergen, H., Nienke Pannekoek, J., Fouche, J. P., Lochner, C., Hattingh, C. J., Cremers, H. R., Furmark, T., Månsson, K. N. T., Frick, A., Engman, J., Boraxbekk, C.-J., Carlbring, P., Andersson, G., Fredrikson, M., Straube, T., Peterburs, J., Klumpp, H., Phan, K. L., Roelofs, K., Veltman, D. J., van Tol, M. J., Stein, D. J. & van der Wee, N. J. A. (2017). Voxel-based morphometry multi-center mega-analysis of brain structure in social anxiety disorder. NeuroImage: Clinical. 16, p. 678-688.

Jonasson, L.S., Nyberg, L., Kramer, A.F., Lundquist, A., Riklund, K., & Boraxbekk, C.-J. (2017). Aerobic exercise intervention, cognitive performance, and brain structure: Results from the physical influences on brain in aging (PHIBRA) study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience; 8, 336.

Boraxbekk, C.-J., Salami, A., Wåhlin, A., & Nyberg, L. (2016). Physical activity over a decade modifies age-related decline in perfusion, gray matter volume, and functional connectivity of the posterior default mode network - a multimodal approach. NeuroImage; 131, 133-141

Group Members

Naiara Demnitz

Group Leader

Sussi Larsen

External Collaborators

Prof. Erik Lykke Mortensen

Department of Public Health, Copenhagen University


Prof. Michael Kjær

Department of Clinical Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen


Prof. Gunhild Waldemar

Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet 


Prof. Lars Nyberg

Umeå Center for  Functional Brain Imaging