Location

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63110



Position Summary

The Multimodal Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead research on the neural and computational mechanisms underlying visual perception and social cognition. The position involves advanced fMRI and/or human intracranial electrophysiology, behavioral experimentation, computational modeling, and multimodal data analysis.

Based in the Neuroimaging Labs Research Center within the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, the Cao Lab offers access to exceptional neuroimaging resources—including 3T and 7T MRI—and a highly collaborative neuroscience community. Successful candidates will receive individualized mentorship while developing innovative research projects, analytical methods, and an independent scientific profile.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Information on being a postdoc at WashU in St. Louis can be found at .

Trains under the supervision of a faculty mentor including (but not limited to):

• Conduct research under Dr. Cao's supervision, including designing and performing experiments, analyze and interpret neuroimaging, electrophysiological, behavioral, and/or computational data, and prepare manuscripts, presentations, and funding applications. Additional responsibilities include maintaining accurate and reproducible research records, collaborating with interdisciplinary research teams, participating in laboratory activities, and mentoring students or research staff as appropriate.
• Conscientious discharge of research responsibilities.
• Maintain conformity with ethical standards in research.
• Maintain compliance with good laboratory practice including the maintenance of adequate research records.
• Engage in open and timely discussion with mentor regarding possession or distribution of material, reagents, or records belonging to their laboratory and any proposed disclosure of findings or techniques privately or in publications.
• Collegial conduct towards co-trainees, staff members and members of the research group.
• Adherence to all applicable University policies, procedures and regulations. All data, research records and materials and other intellectual property generated in University laboratories remain the property of the University.

Working Conditions:

This position works in a laboratory environment with potential exposure to biological and chemical hazards. The individual must be physically able to wear protective equipment and to provide standard care to research animals.

Salary Range:

Base pay is commensurate with experience.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Ph.D., M.D. Or Equivalent Terminal Or Doctoral Degree.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

No specific work experience is required for this position.

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications:

• A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, biomedical engineering, computer science, or a related discipline by the appointment start date.
• A strong research background in fMRI and/or electrophysiology.
• Experience analyzing neuroimaging, neural, behavioral, or computational data.
• Proficiency in scientific programming, particularly Python and/or MATLAB.
• Evidence of research productivity appropriate to career stage.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Multimodal integration of neuroimaging, electrophysiological, and behavioral data experience.
• Agentic AI or AI-assisted scientific workflows experience.
• Development of reproducible data-processing pipelines, workflow systems, or reusable computational tools experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

No additional education unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

Collaboration, Data Analysis, Data Interpretations, Experimentation, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Techniques, Researching, Results Reporting, Scientific Writing

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email [email protected] or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits.

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity or shared ancestry, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information. As a federal contractor, the university maintains affirmative action programs to implement its equal employment opportunity policy for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, in accordance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), as amended.