Don’t hesitate to reach out early, especially if you are an international applicant and may need a visa. While all applications are welcome, we highly encourage those from people with a quantitative background, as our research routinely requires navigating the digital lab architecture (servers), analyzing large-scale population data, and solving hardware/engineering problems.
Philosophy: why join the lab?
I am dedicated to providing a work environment where each member can thrive and contribute their unique skills and perspectives. I foster a culture of collaboration, open communication, where innovative ideas are nurtured and encouraged. I value continuous learning and skill development, and I am committed to provide ample resources to help you enhance your talents: that means attending summer/winter schools, going to conferences, initiating collaborations with other laboratories, but also supporting your grants, and nominating you for awards.
Joining a new lab is also a unique opportunity. I was the first student to graduate from my PhD lab, and I know that working alongside a new PI can accelerate your learning curve, enabling you to gain practical insights on how a lab operates while receiving feedback on nearly every aspect of research.
Postdoctoral researchers
Research in the lab relies heavily on writing and implementing scripts (Python, Matlab, C++, Shell) for navigating and managing servers, but also for accessing and analyzing data you will collect. It is not uncommon to also develop hardware for the behavioral apparatus, or as part of a new experimental design. As such, prospective postdocs should be comfortable with systems neuroscience or other quantitative fields (physics, engineering, CS, etc…). But we also welcome applicants with completely orthogonal backgrounds such as molecular biology to develop and explore novel ideas. Most importantly, you should be able to work collaboratively with students and other postdocs. Research cannot and should not be done alone; team work is vital.
Interested applicants can contact me with a CV, a summary of past research accomplishments, future goals, and contact information for academic referees.
We currently do not have openings for postdoctoral researchers (April 2024).
Graduate students
We welcome all graduate students currently enrolled in a graduate program at Yale, especially those with an interest in the Neuroscience track, and wiling to do a rotation in the lab. For future students interested in doing a PhD at Yale: the graduate admissions process is entirely independent of our research activities, and you must first enroll in one of Yale’s graduate programs.
Staff (research staff, lab manager, technician)
We welcome applicants preparing their application to a graduate or medical school, and wanting to gain research experience for a year or two. We are also looking to hire research and admin staff. Applicants who are keen on exploring/changing their field are also very much welcome. Neuroscience is an increasingly popular topic to study, and there should be no barrier for people to explore it.
If you are interested, please email me to discuss opportunities, especially if you have some prior experience with animal research/husbandry, computer science, or mechanical/electrical engineering.
We currently do not have openings for staff associates (April 2024).