Assistant, Associate or Full Professor - Visual Neuroscience

About the Job

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Medical School is seeking candidates for a tenure-track (Assistant Professor) or tenured (Associate or Full Professor) faculty appointment in visual neuroscience. The new faculty will integrate with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences (OVNS), a leader in both clinical care and basic vision research. Ideal candidates will build collaborations between clinical and translational faculty in OVNS with researchers in the Department of Neuroscience.

Candidates with MD/PhDs and clinical programs are especially encouraged to apply. Applications are also invited from PhDs or non‑practicing MDs who have a commitment to building collaborations across clinical and basic research.

Researchers investigating all aspects of the visual system, from the retina to higher visual areas, in both health and disease are encouraged to apply. New faculty would be appointed within the Department of Neuroscience, a basic‑science department in the Medical School, with a proven dedication to team science and collaborative work. The Department has a sustained reputation for research excellence and new faculty would build on existing expertise in functional imaging across species, computational modeling, and optical imaging, and join a strong group of visual neuroscientists in the Department, with expertise across the visual system and spanning a range of experimental models.

Strengths at the University of Minnesota include a number of integrative institutes. The Institute for Translational Neuroscience supports research at the interface between the bench and the bedside. The Center for Magnetic Resonance Research is at the forefront of high‑field imaging in both humans and animals. The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain is a world leader in investigating the development and functioning of the brain from infancy through adulthood.

The MnDRIVE initiative supports research and translation relevant to neuromodulation for brain conditions. The Department is also a key part of the Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, the Medical Discovery Team on Optical Imaging, and the Neuro Plasticity Research in Support of Mental Health workgroup—world‑class neuroscience‑based programs that support many interdisciplinary laboratories at the institution.

Resources at the university include the UMN Viral Vector and Cloning Core, the University Imaging Center, the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and support for new drug therapies. Minnesota is home to multiple biomedical research companies and renowned hospitals. The University of Minnesota is dedicated to improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and the Department of Neuroscience has developed several programs in this area.

Research
:
The Department expects that the candidate will establish an outstanding research program and generate the highest quality publications. The candidate should develop programs clearly identified with them, in which they can assume a programmatic leadership role. They should also develop extramural funding mechanisms that allow them to pursue their areas of interest throughout their career. Candidates are expected to devote the majority of their effort (~75%) toward their research program.

Service
:
Faculty members are expected to participate in seminars and colloquia, faculty meetings, and serve on department committees. Occasionally faculty members are expected to serve on medical school or university committees. The Department also expects that the candidate will provide service at a national/international level (e.g., editorial duties, grant review, or organizing conferences and workshops). Candidates are expected to devote ~10% of their effort to service.

Clinical / Integration
:
The candidate is also expected to provide a bridge between basic and clinical departments (~15% of the effort). This may involve cross‑discipline collaborations between OVNS and Neuroscience researchers, including the development of multi‑lab research grants. For candidates with a…