Postdoc : Human Cognitive Neuroscience

POSTDOC JOBS: HUMAN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

Requisition # 4543

Advertising Ends on:
Tuesday, February 24th, 2026
Advertising Started on:
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
College:
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department:
Psychological and Brain Sciences

Salary: $62,232.00 to Commensurate

Multiple Postdoctoral Positions in Human Cognitive Neuroscience

The Wessel Cognitive Neurology Laboratory at the University of Iowa, led by Dr. Jan Wessel, is looking to hire several postdoctoral scholars at the earliest time point, with flexible starting dates.

The postdoctoral scholar(s) will perform research on the topic of human cognitive control under the direct supervision of Dr. Wessel. Specific topics will be organized in accordance with the applicants' interests and expertise, but will broadly be related to the neural mechanisms underlying the cognitive control of movement and non-motor processes (such as language, memory, or attention). Work will be performed using a combination of EEG, intracranial recordings (DBS, sEEG), TMS, fMRI, EMG, brain lesions, computational modeling, and other methods.

About the Wessel Cognitive Neurology Lab

Dr. Wessel's lab is joint between the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa. It is equipped with multiple EEG and TMS systems and has access to the University of Iowa's cutting-edge imaging facility, which includes research-dedicated human 3T and 7T fMRI scanners. The lab maintains active collaborations with the Neurosurgical Department at the University of Iowa (with whom we perform intracranial LFP recordings from deep-brain regions as well as sEEG), the Neuropsychology Group in the Department of Neurology (which maintains the Iowa Lesion Patient registry, a one-of-a-kind resource with several hundreds of active brain lesion patients), and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Dr. Wessel's lab is also part of the Cognitive Control Collaborative, which combines the expertise of five laboratories working on related topics (lead by Drs. Eliot Hazeltine, Kai Hwang, Jiefeng Jiang, Jeffrey Cockburn, and Jan Wessel) and has biweekly meetings and regularly hosts external speakers.

The position is funded for one year, with the possibility of extension based on available funding and satisfactory performance.

The University of Iowa is centrally located in Iowa City, an award-winning, vibrant college town in the American Midwest, which combines affordable cost of living with an extraordinary cultural, culinary, and international experience. More info on Iowa City can be found at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

Highly-motivated scholars with the attributes listed in the requirements section below are strongly encouraged to apply.

If your H-1B petition is subject to the September 19, 2025, Presidential Proclamation, please note that the department will not cover the $100,000 payment associated with H-1B sponsorship, either at the time of hire or for international travel purposes. We encourage you to explore alternative pathways for work authorization. Our team is available to help identify options that may be suitable for your situation.

Please note that most Postdoctoral Research Scholars can be sponsored as J-1 exchange scholars.

• PhD or equivalent in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, biomedical engineering, or a related field.

• Track record of peer-reviewed scientific journal publications in the domain of human cognitive control (broadly construed).
• Expert knowledge of a scientific programming language (preferable: MATLAB or Python)
• Experience with one or several of the listed human neuroscience techniques.
• Ability to work and learn independently and perform research with a high level of integrity.
• Well-organized and able to coordinate and interact with a team of other postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, research assistants, undergraduates, and intra- and extramural collaborators.

• Curriculum Vitae
• Name and Contact Information of References (2 required)
• Letters…