Postdoc Scientist: Neurocircuits & Behavioral Pharmacology

BioSpace; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 58,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentored postdoctoral appointment

Publication support

Competitive stipend

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Lilly in Indianapolis seeks a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an in vivo pharmacology program studying reward, arousal, and stress-related circuits. You will apply fiber photometry, microdialysis, and behavioral pharmacology models to characterize neuromodulatory signaling relevant to CNS drug discovery.

The role involves designing rodent experiments, performing surgeries, recording neural signals during behavior, and analyzing multimodal data for publications and conferences.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Behavioral Neuroscience, or related field, completed within 1–3 years (or near completion).
• Hands-on experience with in vivo fiber photometry (calcium/neuropeptide sensor recording, signal processing, and analysis).
• Demonstrated expertise in rodent stereotaxic surgery, viral vector delivery, and fiber optic cannula implantation.
• Experience with rodent operant/behavioral pharmacology models (IV self-administration, extinction, cue reinstatement).
• Familiarity with in vivo microdialysis and downstream analytical quantification (HPLC/LC‑MS or similar).
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; sponsorship not provided.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute in vivo experiments in rodent models relevant to CNS drug discovery.
• Perform rodent survival surgeries: stereotaxic viral injection and IV catheter implantation.
• Conduct fiber photometry recordings to characterize real‑time circuit dynamics during behavior.
• Perform microdialysis with LC/MS quantification of neurotransmitter efflux.
• Map projections and test causal roles in behaviors under study.
• Carry out multiplex fluorescence and histology experiments.
• Characterize sleep/arousal architecture as needed for the project.
• Support processing of human postmortem brain tissue with external repositories.
• Analyze multimodal datasets using established computational pipelines.
• Prepare manuscripts and present findings at internal and external meetings.
• Maintain IACUC compliance and data integrity.

Skills

In vivo fiber photometry

Rodent stereotaxic surgery

Operant/behavioral pharmacology

Microdialysis/LC-MS

Data analysis (MATLAB/Python/R)

First-author publications

Education

Ph.D. in Neuroscience/Pharmacology/related field

Tools

Fiber photometry setup

Stereotaxic equipment

IV catheterization

HPLC/LC-MS

EEG/EMG

Job description

Lilly in Indianapolis seeks a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an in vivo pharmacology program studying reward, arousal, and stress-related circuits. You will apply fiber photometry, microdialysis, and behavioral pharmacology models to characterize neuromodulatory signaling relevant to CNS drug discovery.

The role involves designing rodent experiments, performing surgeries, recording neural signals during behavior, and analyzing multimodal data for publications and conferences.