Postdoctoral Position
Listed on 2026-09-20
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Research/Development
Research Scientist
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 chemo genetics, 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
- 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)
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