The Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Evolutionary Neuroscience Laboratory of Dr. Erin Hecht to contribute to comparative neuroscience research in canids and primates.  We are specifically recruiting applicants with interest and expertise in neurohistology, stereology, and other microscopy analysis techniques.  Additional projects and training opportunities can be tailored to suit the candidate's goals and interests, and may include comparative human/nonhuman primate neuroimaging, canine neuroimaging with dogs and foxes, and/or behavior and psychological assessments.  Training in professional skills development will also be offered, including guidance in writing grants and papers, assistance in building a professional network, supervising trainees, and support in advancing to the next career stage.

 

This is a one-year position, expected to begin in spring or summer 2025, with possibility of renewal dependent upon adequate funding and satisfactory performance. Applicants who are available for at least a two-year anticipated commitment are preferred. The research will take place in the Evolutionary Neuroscience Laboratory directed by Dr. Hecht and located in the Peabody Museum on Harvard University's Cambridge, Massachusetts campus.  

 

Broadly, the Evolutionary Neuroscience Laboratory studies how brains change in response to selection pressure on behavior, and how brains acquire heritable adaptations for complex, learned behaviors.  Comparisons between modern humans and our living primate relatives provide a way to address this question in the context of our own evolutionary history, while domestication provides an additional window on brain-behavior evolution.  The lab uses a variety of experimental and computational tools, such as structural and functional neuroimaging, histology and digital microscopy, and behavior analysis.  The lab's websites are: http://hechtlab.org/ and http://caninebrains.org 

 

The Evolutionary Neuroscience Lab is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and the Sloan Foundation. There will be opportunities for cross-training and interaction with an interdisciplinary research team including neuroscientists, primatologists, geneticists, and animal behavior scientists.

A doctoral degree is required for this position.

Desired qualifications include research experience in neurohistology.  Qualified applicants may also have expertise in neuroscience, psychology, neuroimaging, histology, and/or animal behavior.   

Professor Erin Hecht

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$67,600-$80,000