Postdoctoral Position

Society for Research on Biological Rhythms; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 54,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits

Job summary

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center invites a postdoctoral fellow to study neural circuits controlling food-anticipatory responses and motivated behavior. Fernandez Lab at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center / University of Cincinnati uses mouse models, pharmacology, and circuit methods to link metabolic signals to anticipation, circadian timing, and emotional/motivational circuits.

You will lead a defined project from behavioral and pharmacological manipulation through

Qualifications

• PhD (completed or near completion) in neuroscience, physiology, pharmacology, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with in vivo rodent (mouse) models — surgery plus behavioral and/or physiological experiments.
• Experience with at least one circuit-level method, or a foundation to learn quickly: stereotaxic and viral delivery, fiber photometry, opto- or chemogenetics, in vivo electrophysiology, or calcium imaging.
• Solid molecular and histological skills (IHC/IF, confocal, qPCR and/or Western blot).
• First-author peer-reviewed publications.

Responsibilities

• Lead a defined project from behavioral and pharmacological manipulation through circuit-level mechanism.
• Conduct experiments combining behavior, pharmacology, and circuit analyses.
• Collaborate within the lab to advance mechanistic understanding of feeding-related neural circuits.

Skills

In vivo rodent models

Circuit-level methods familiarity

Molecular and histological skills

First-author publications

Independence and collaboration

Education

PhD in neuroscience/physiology/pharmacology

Tools

Stereotaxic surgery

Viral delivery

Fiber photometry

Optogenetics/chemogenetics

In vivo electrophysiology

Calcium imaging

Job description

Postdoctoral Position.

Neural circuits controlling food-anticipatory responses and motivated behavior

Fernandez Lab · Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center / University of Cincinnati

We’re hiring a postdoctoral fellow to study how the brain anticipates and controls feeding, and how internal-state signals shape motivated and emotional behavior. The lab investigates neural circuits linking metabolic and hormonal signals to anticipatory behavior, circadian timing, and emotional/motivational-based circuits, using mouse models and a combination of pharmacological, circuit, molecular, and behavioral approaches. The work has translational relevance to metabolism, mood, and appetite regulation. You’ll lead a defined project — from behavioral and pharmacological manipulation through circuit-level mechanism — with room to grow it into an independent research direction.

NIH-scale stipend commensurate with experience, plus full benefits. Sound like you — or someone you know? Please share and reach out.

Required:

• PhD (completed or near completion) in neuroscience, physiology, pharmacology, or a related field
• Hands-on experience with in vivo rodent (mouse) models — surgery plus behavioral and/or physiological experiments
• Experience with at least one circuit-level method, or a clear foundation to learn it quickly: stereotaxic and viral delivery, fiber photometry, opto- or chemogenetics, in vivoelectrophysiology, or calcium imaging
• Solid molecular and histological skills (IHC/IF, confocal, qPCR and/or Western blot)
• First-author peer-reviewed publication(s)
• Independence, rigor, and a collaborative mindset

Preferred:

• Experience in one or more of: feeding/metabolic behavior, food anticipatory activity, gut-brain signaling, or incretin pharmacology
• Amygdala or emotional/motivational circuit experience (e.g., fear conditioning, anxiety assays)
• Chronobiology methods (actigraphy/wheel-running, free-running rhythm and clock-gene analysis)
• In vivo pharmacology and drug-timing / dosing design
• Analysis of time-series data; programming (Python, R, or MATLAB)

https://www.scienceoflightcenter.org/diego-fernandez-lab