Research Assistant Professor

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The primary purpose of the Psychology and Neuroscience Department is to provide excellent education, research and service in the field. This goal breaks down into four important components: 1) to teach psychology and neuroscience to undergraduates in a manner that will introduce them vigorously to its broad scope; 2) to offer scientific and professional training to graduate students in the areas of behavioral and integrative neuroscience, clinical, cognitive, developmental, quantitative, and social psychology; 3) to carry out cutting-edge research in these areas, and 4) to provide consulting and administrative support services to the science and profession of psychology as well as to the university, the community, the state, and the nation.

The Department consists of six programs: behavioral and integrative neuroscience; clinical psychology; cognitive psychology; developmental psychology; quantitative psychology, and social psychology. Each program is designed to acquaint the student thoroughly with the theoretical and research content of the specialty and to provide training in the research skills needed to become a competent and creative investigator. In addition, the programs focus on the development of appropriate professional skills.

The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience ranks 2nd in the College in grant funding with over $12 million annually in grant expenditures and approximately $20 million annually in expenditures from all funds. The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience has the largest undergraduate major in the College of Arts and Sciences with approximately 1500 majors, and one of the largest graduate Ph.D. programs with approximately 120 graduate students. The Department is also home to four community clinics which generate fee revenue (Adult Clinic, Anxiety Clinic, Child and Family Clinic, Couples Clinic), known collectively as the UNC Psychology and Neuroscience Community Clinic (the Clinic).

The primary purpose of this position is to advance the research of Dr. Fitting, a leader in Behavioral and Integrative Neuroscience. This position is to carry out independent research, train all new undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral lab member, apply for funding opportunities, and write manuscripts and present research at conferences.

The primary role (60%) is to conduct project development, management, and implement and execute research related to the cannabinoid and neuroHIV fields, including behavioral pharmacology studies, in vivo calcium imaging studies, as well as studies that focus on harvesting of CNS tissue, and immunohistochemistry, confocal, and Western blot studies. This also entails conducting literature searches, modify existing laboratory protocols, grant writing, budget development, and seeking out funding opportunities. This work requires previous experience with animal research and behavioral pharmacology and cellular neuroscience and strong knowledge in behavioral assays (novel object recognition, T-maze, locomotor activity), Western blot analyses, stereotaxic injections, in vivo calcium imaging, data science tools, and statistical analyses. In addition, this position entails publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals and presenting research findings at national and international conferences.

The second role (20%) is to plan and implement research projects including coordinating the development of project scope, goals, work plans, timelines, strategies and assessing progress towards project objectives. This includes orchestrating the training of new undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral lab users in laboratory methods and data analyses tasks, while assisting with the interpretation of complex data.

The third role (20%) is dedicated to lab management and compliance. Ensuring that the lab runs smoothly, tracking inventory and oversee supplies and equipment, and maintain a culture of lab safety and compliance with chemical and biological regulations is paramount.

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences or directly related field

N/A

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost office at (919)-962-1091 or send an email to facultyrecruitment@unc.edu.

Please note: The Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost office will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

If you have any questions about the job requirements or the hiring department notify the Department Contact.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.