Translational Neuroscience - A Division-wide, Open-rank Faculty Search

Biological Sciences Division - The University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 475,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago’s Biological Sciences Division is conducting a division-wide Translational Neuroscience open-rank faculty search to recruit scientists, physician-scientists and engineers whose work will advance understanding of the nervous system and translate discovery into new diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders.

Academic rank, track, tenure status, and compensation will depend on qualifications, with primary appointments likely in Biological

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree or equivalent and postdoctoral training.

Responsibilities

• Advance understanding of the nervous system and translate discovery into diagnostics, prevention, or therapies.
• Collaborate across departments and divisions and participate in multidisciplinary research initiatives.

Education

Doctoral degree

Job description

Translational Neuroscience - A Division-wide, Open-rank Faculty Search

Salary Range: PhD: $140,000 - $350,000, dependent on experience and academic rank; MD or MD/PhD: $170,000 - $475,000, dependent on experience, clinical expectations, and academic rank

Scope and Opportunity

The University of Chicago's Biological Sciences Division is searching for full-time scientists, physician-scientists, and engineerswhose work willadvance understanding of the nervous system and accelerate the translation of discovery into new diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic strategies for neurological, psychiatric, developmental, sensory, and neurodegenerative disorders. This search builds on a highly successful, decade-long focus on building systems-level experimental, computational, and theoretical neuroscience at the University of Chicago.

Academic rank, track, tenure status, and compensation are dependent upon qualifications. Primary appointments will be in appropriate departments or units, most likely in the Biological Sciences, though potentially in the Physical Sciences Division, or the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, with possible secondary appointments in other relevant units depending on the candidates' research.

These positions are benefits eligible.The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Appointeeswill join a highly collaborative academic medical center with outstanding basic science and clinical departments, state-of-the-art core facilities, exceptional undergraduate, graduate and medical students, and opportunities to engage with new multidisciplinary research and commercialization initiatives, including Hyde Park Labs, a new hybrid facility for academic research, science-based companies and the UChicago Science Incubator.

Research Priorities

The current search is intended to capture a broad range of neuroscience, including molecular, cellular, circuit, systems, computational, behavioral, clinical, and population-level approaches. We seek to recruit faculty who will strengthen connections among basic neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, human genetics, computational biology, engineering, and therapeutic development, with the aim of creating transformative programs in human neuroscience and neurological disease.

For the coming year, we are particularly interested in researchers whose work advances restorative neuroscience and circuit interventions, as well as researchers studying neuroimmunology, neuroinflammation and related brain-body mechanisms.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

Restorative neuroscience and circuit interventions Neuroimmunology, neuroinflammation, and brain–body interactions Neurodegeneration, aging, and mechanisms of neuronal vulnerability Synaptic, circuit, systems, and behavioral neuroscience Computational neuroscience, neural data science, and AI-enabled neurobiology Neurogenetics, genomics, and molecular mechanisms of neurological disease Developmental neuroscience and neurodevelopmental disorders Neurovascular biology, blood–brain barrier biology, and brain metabolism Neuromodulation, gene therapy, cell therapy, and precision neuroscience

Selection Process

The initial phase of the search is led by a committee composed of faculty from multiple departments and divisions rather than by a single hiring department. This phase is designed to identify leading candidates across the breadth of the search area and to consider how their scholarship could contribute to, and be advanced by, the University’s scientific programs and intellectual environment. During an initial campus visit, candidates will meet faculty from multiple departments, institutes, and programs.

A follow-up visit will be organized by the departmental affiliation(s) best suited to support each candidate’s work and long-term success. Additional information about the selection principles and the broader division-wide recruitment strategy is available here: BSD Faculty Recruitment.

A Division-Wide Recruitment Initiative

This search is one of five coordinated, open-rank searches through which the Biological Sciences Division and UChicago Medicine, in collaboration with the Physical Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, are recruiting a cohort of exceptional faculty to expand the scale, disciplinary breadth, and human impact of biomedical research at UChicago. Candidates whose work spans more than one search area are encouraged to apply to multiple searches.

1. Cancer Biology and Immunology
2. Chemical Biology and Therapeutics
3. Translational Neuroscience (this ad)
4. AI-Enabled Biology and Medicine
5. Physician-Scientists—All Health-Related Areas

Application

Prior to the start of employment, qualified applicants must have a doctoral degree or equivalent and have completed postdoctoral training.

Applicants must upload:

1. a cover letter
2. CV including bibliography
3. research statement
4. teaching statement
5. names and contact information for three references

Review of complete applications will start on September 15, 2026, and end when the positions are filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email [e-mail] with their request.