Call for Applications Columbia University in the City of New York Presidential Scholars in Society and Neuroscience
Columbia University is pleased to
announce three postdoctoral positions for researchers who have earned the
doctorate, or its equivalent, in a humanities or social science discipline—such
as psychiatry, psychology, public health, law, history, economics, literature,
philosophy, anthropology, sociology, journalism, music and the arts—and who
have extensive acquaintance with and critical understanding of neuroscience
research. These Presidential Scholars will form the inaugural members of
an innovative program that will eventually include nine postdoctoral positions
and a large group of mentors and affiliated faculty from the humanities, social
sciences, and natural sciences.
Over the last
decade, Columbia University has assembled a distinguished group of
neuroscientific researchers in the Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute
which, with the infusion of new funds and a new building, stands poised to
become one of the most important loci of neuroscience research in the
world. Columbia University is committed to supplementing the
groundbreaking experimental inquiry of the neuroscience faculty by systematic
investigation into the conceptual underpinnings and the social foundations and
consequences of such newly obtained knowledge. The Presidential Scholars
in Society and Neuroscience will add the perspective of disciplines in the
humanities and social sciences to intensify and broaden the neuroscientific
research base and help advance transformative interdisciplinary research
throughout the University.
The goal of this interdisciplinary
experiment is to train and foster a new generation of scholars with the
capacity to advance understanding of the humanist and social dimensions of
mind, brain, and behavior. In order to foster true interdisciplinary
research, each Presidential Scholar will work very closely with two senior
mentors, one drawn from neuroscience and the other from the humanities or
social science discipline closest to the work of the scholar. The
Presidential Scholars, mentors, and affiliated faculty will meet bi-weekly
throughout the academic year, inviting guest discussions from accomplished
scholars around the world and serving as a locus for the Presidential Scholars’
presentation of their own work.
Successful applicants will be appointed
in the Center for Science and Society at Columbia University.
Appointments will be made at the level of postdoctoral scholar or scientist, or
associate research scholar or scientist, with a start date of July 1, 2015 for
the 2015-16 academic year. Renewal for the second and third years will be
based on satisfactory performance. The annual salary will be
approximately $80,000, plus benefits.
Eligibility
Requirements: Candidates
must hold the doctoral degree by July 1, 2015 (and have received the doctorate
after July 1, 2010) in a humanities or social science discipline, and must
demonstrate extensive acquaintance with and critical understanding of an aspect
of neuroscience.
Review of applications will begin on January 15, 2015 and will
continue until the positions are filled. All applications must be
submitted through Columbia University's online Recruitment of Academic
Personnel System (RAPS) and must include: a cover letter of application,
curriculum vitae, dissertation abstract, writing sample of up to 30 pages
(article or book chapter), proposal for an interdisciplinary research
project (or projects) that builds on your own disciplinary background and an
aspect of neuroscientific research, work sample or portfolio (if
applicable – for applicants with a background in the Arts), and three letters
of reference. For more information and to apply, please go to academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=60129
For questions about the application
process, please contact researchinitiatives@columbia.edu.
Columbia is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
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Deborah CoenAssociate Professor of History
Barnard College, Columbia University
410 Lehman Hall
3009 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-7449