Assistant Professor

About the role

Virginia Tech invites applications for multiple tenure-track faculty positions in the School of Neuroscience at the Assistant Professor level. We are seeking candidates who will apply innovative approaches to computational neuroscience, neural engineering, cellular, molecular, or systems neuroscience, complementing the expertise of the primary faculty members who have joined the School of Neuroscience since 2015. Successful candidates will teach and establish a competitive research program capable of attracting extramural funding from a wide variety of funding agencies. Competitive salary, space, and start-up packages will be provided.

About the School of Neuroscience

Established in 2015, the School of Neuroscience is a collaborative academic research environment with 23 primary research and instructional faculty and over 50 affiliate neuroscience faculty, a thriving Neuroscience Ph.D. program, and over 750 undergraduate neuroscience majors. Using organisms from flies to humans, the School of Neuroscience faculty explores how the brain develops and ages, how neurons and glia interact to create functional circuits, and how these circuits create or modulate behavior such as learning, decision-making, and sleep. Research areas include the healthy brain, neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, psychiatric disease, neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, drug abuse, and brain injury.

Responsibilities

• Teach at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
• Establish and maintain an independent, externally funded research program.
• Engage in interdisciplinary research and collaborate across disciplinary boundaries.
• Communicate complex neuroscience concepts effectively to diverse audiences.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or equivalent degree in a relevant discipline with post-doctoral experience.
• Peer-reviewed publications in high-impact neuroscience journals.
• A vision to establish an independent research program with a high likelihood of being competitive for extramural grant support.
• Demonstrated experience with and commitment to interdisciplinary research; vision, creativity, and leadership skills; and a willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries.
• A desire to teach at the graduate and undergraduate levels, with a commitment to pedagogical approaches.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research programs that integrate and complement existing programs in the School of Neuroscience and relate to programmatic needs of undergraduate and graduate curricula.

Existing grant support, while a good indicator for future funding potential, is not required.