Post-Doctoral Fellow

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Section on Molecular Neuroscience

National Institute of Mental Health

National Institutes of Health

Department of Health and Human Services

Bethesda, MD

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a major research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is seeking exceptional candidates for a Post-Doctoral Fellow position in the Division of Intramural Research Programs (DIRP), Section on Molecular Neuroscience, headed by Dr. Lee Eiden and Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, headed by Dr. Hugo Tejeda.

We are seeking a highly qualified and motivated  individual interested in dissecting the role of neuropeptides in brain circuits involved in stress modulation of reward and aversion processing and decision-making under conflict. Studies will emphasize pharmacology, electrophysiology, in vivo and two photon imaging, intersetional genetic techniques, and genetically-encoded neuropeptide sensors. They will include: 1) circuit tracing using retrograde and anterograde tracers, 2) ablation of neuropeptide expression from neurochemically defined projection and intrinsic neuronal populations involved in stress transduction, 3) in vivo imaging and chemo- and optogenetic manipulation with imaging of neuronal calcium, immediate early gene expression, and neuropeptide release, and 4) causal connections between these manipulations and the processing of aversive and rewarding inputs leading to behavior.

The successful candidate should have a strong intellectual interest in the role of neuropeptides in brain function, and in invesigating them using the integrated approaches described above. Candidate must have recently (within 5 years) received Ph.D. degree or equivalent in the general area of neurobiology or neuroscience, with a background in electrophysiology and animal behavior, and experience in microscopy, histology and brain slice and in vivo neuronal imaging and recording.  Excellent interpersonal and communication, as well as technical, skills are required.

Salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Applicants are invited to submit a curriculum vitae including publication list, a one-page summary of research interests, and names and contact details of three references to Drs. Eiden (eidenl@mail.nih.gov) and Tejeda (hugo.tejeda@nih.gov). The National Institutes of Health is an equal opportunity employer., and candidates from previously underrepresented backgrounds in neuroscience are particularly encouraged to apply. 

HHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers