Open-rank tenure-track faculty position
Position overview
Position title: Assistant ProfessorAssociate Professor
Professor
Application Window
Open date: September 1, 2026
Next review date: Saturday, Oct 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Sunday, Nov 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Department of Neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA invites applications for an open-rank tenure-track/tenured faculty position. We welcome applications from candidates at all levels whose research addresses fundamental questions in neuroscience or explores mechanisms of disease. The ideal candidate will pursue interdisciplinary approaches to address major unanswered questions about the nervous system. We encourage applications from investigators working across a broad range of scales - including genetics, molecular neuroscience, systems/circuit neuroscience, computation, behavior and cognition.
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D. (or equivalent degree) in a neuroscience-related field. Preference will be given to early-career candidates at the Assistant Professor level; however, exceptional candidates at the Associate Professor or Full Professor level will be considered. Evaluation of applicants will emphasize research accomplishments and creativity, teaching excellence, professional contributions, and service to the academic community. We also seek candidates who demonstrate a commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive academic environment. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain an active and innovative research program and contribute to mentoring and training activities at UCLA. Teaching and service responsibilities will be consistent with those of other tenure-track/tenured faculty members in the DGSOM.
UCLA offers competitive salaries, research start-up support, recruitment resources, state-of-the-art modern laboratories, computing resources and research infrastructure, as well as a vibrant community of collaborative scholars. The Department of Neurobiology is a leading center for neuroscience research and education at UCLA, with faculty research spanning a wide range of neuroscience disciplines, methodologies, experimental systems, and levels of analysis. The department is part of the DGSOM, one of the top medical schools in the US, and is affiliated with one of the nation’s pre-eminent health systems. The DGSOM is located on the main UCLA campus, supporting collaborative efforts across one of the largest and most diverse institutional neuroscience communities in the nation. Department faculty interact with a broad range of neuroscience-associated organizations at UCLA, including the Brain Research Institute, the Neuroscience Research Theme, the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, the UCLA Intellectual Development and Disabilities Research Center, the Semel Institute, the Brain Mapping Center, the California NanoSystems Institute, and the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences. Additional interdisciplinary opportunities exist through interactions with faculty in other departments within the DGSOM and across campus, including the Divisions of Life Sciences and Physical Sciences within the College of Letters and Science, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
To be considered, candidates should upload each of the following required materials on time: 1) a description of their research plans in less than three pages; 2) full curriculum vitae; 3) a statement of contributions to teaching and/or mentorship. and 4) at least 3 letters of reference (to be uploaded by the referees). Some application materials may be circulated to other stakeholders outside the committee for further consideration. The first review date will be October 31, 2026; a symposium for shortlisted applicants is scheduled for January 26, 2027.
The shared values of the DGSOM are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of our community and affirms our unswerving commitment to doing what’s right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which we hold ourselves, and one another. Please read more about this important DGSOM program at Medical School | Cultural North Star | UCLA Medical School.
All aspects of searches are confidential and all candidates are expected to review and abide by UC Regents Policy 1111 on Statement on Ethical Values and Standards of Conduct [Ethical Values and Standards of Conduct]
The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists’ current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.
Qualifications
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D. (or equivalent degree)
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D. (or equivalent degree) in a neuroscience-related field
Application Requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Statement of Research (less than 3 pages)
Statement of Contributions to Teaching and/or Mentorship
- 3 letters of reference required
Applicants will be asked to name references, and the applicant must request letters to complete their application
Help contact: cweston@mednet.ucla.edu
About UCLA
As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.
As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.
- “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
- UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
- UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
- APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment