Post Doctoral Associate (Systems Neuroscience of Auditory Perception Lab)
Content + Source + Freshness • 14 Dec 2025 • 95% confidence
Offer value
Strong emphasis on professional growth and interdisciplinary collaboration makes this position attractive for candidates pursuing academic careers.
- Strong mentoring and support for professional development
- Engage in impactful neuroscience research
- Collaborate with a diverse team across institutions
- Funding-dependent role with potential uncertainties
Pros
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary training and collaboration
- Strong mentoring support for postdoctoral development
- Involvement in innovative research with potential real-world impact
Cons
- Dependent on funding linked to NIH grants, which may introduce uncertainty
- Postdoctoral roles may require extensive hours and project deadlines
- The position is primarily research-focused, potentially lacking applied experience
Who it's for
Postdoctoral / Early Career Researcher • In-person/Collaboration environment
Good fit
- Recent Ph.D. graduates in Neuroscience or related fields
- Individuals passionate about auditory perception
- Researchers interested in translation of findings to clinical practice
Not recommended for
- Candidates without research experience
- Those looking for industry-focused roles
- Individuals seeking flexible remote arrangements
Motivation fit
Key skills
About the job
The Systems Neuroscience of Auditory Perception (SNAPlab) at the University of Pittsburgh seeks a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate to join an NIH-funded project investigating mechanisms underlying suprathreshold auditory deficits in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The successful candidate will work closely with Drs. Hari Bharadwaj, Aravind Parthasarathy, Samantha Hauser, Lori Zitelli, and an interdisciplinary team of graduate and undergraduate student colleagues from different academic programs (e.g., audiology, biomedical engineering).
This project integrates psychoacoustics, acoustic physiological measurements, EEG, and pupillometry to characterize altered peripheral neural coding of speech and speech-in-noise in human listeners with SNHL and link these mechanisms to perceptual outcomes. Our team has active collaborations with investigators using pre-clinical animal models of hearing loss to provide cross-species context for the human findings, creating a translational pipeline.
Environment
SNAPlab is part of the Brain and Auditory Sciences Research Initiative (BASRI) based in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Pittsburgh, and is affiliated with the Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center (PHRC). The postdoc will be part of a vibrant auditory-science community (~15 laboratories) spanning multiple departments at the Schools of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, and Medicine, as well as Carnegie Mellon University. This interdisciplinary environment provides outstanding opportunities for cross-disciplinary training in neuroscience, audiology, engineering, and clinical translation.
Mentoring & Professional Development
The mentoring environment emphasizes individualized professional growth and a structured pathway toward independence. Pitt CSD’s Office of Research provides dedicated support for grant development, including proposals led by postdocs (e.g., NIH K-series, F32, foundation grants). The lab has a record of alumni success across academia and industry. Additional information about SNAPlab is available at https://snaplabgroup.github.io/.
Responsibilities
Design, implement, and analyze psychoacoustic, EEG, and physiological experiments in human participants with and without SNHL.
Link human measures to complementary pre-clinical data generated by collaborators.
Disseminate results via conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.
Mentor graduate and undergraduate trainees.
Engage in interdisciplinary collaborations across the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.
Qualifications
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Audiology, Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Communication Science & Disorders, or a related field.
Candidates who hold both Au.D. and Ph.D. degrees are particularly encouraged to apply.
Experience in one or more of: human electrophysiology or neuroimaging (e.g. EEG), psychoacoustics, experimental auditory physiology in non-human animal models, or computational modeling of the auditory system.
Strong data exploration and analysis skills (e.g., using MATLAB, Python, or R).
Effective written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
Application Instructions
Applicants should submit the following materials via join.pitt.edu - Requisition 25005911
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Cover Letter describing your interest in the position, how your background fits the project, and how this experience will contribute to your long-term career goals (this replaces a separate research statement).
Names and contact information of two referees (letters not required at the time of application).
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
