Heersink School of Medicine - Open Rank (Investigators )- Neurology

The University of Alabama at Birmingham* (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine (HSOM)** is recruiting up to 16 investigators as part of a major strategic initiative in the Neurosciences to build on a strong portfolio across basic and translational research. Recruitment is for tenured, tenure‐track, and non‐tenure‐earning faculty at all ranks and includes academic appointment in one or more of 27 academic departments across the HSOM, four of which rank in the top 10 nationally in NIH funding. Priority will be given to applicants with dynamic research programs focused on brain health and disease across the lifespan. Areas of focus include: Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurodevelopment, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Autism and Intellectual Disorders, Epilepsy, Substance Use Disorders (Addiction & Motivated Behavior), Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, Circadian Rhythms and Sleep, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Human IPSC/Organoid Models.

Driven by an intensely collaborative and entrepreneurial character, UAB is one of the leading economic engines of the State, generating more than $12 billion in annual economic impact. UAB is Alabama’s largest employer with more than 35,000 faculty and staff; it supports more than 53,000 jobs at the University. Nationally, UAB ranks 28th in federal funding and 12th in NIH funding (top 5%), with annual research expenditures exceeding $850 million. For 12 consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report has ranked UAB Hospital the Best Hospital in Alabama, with five adult specialties ranked in the top 50 for 2025-2026. The Heersink School of Medicine has a statewide reach, extending from Birmingham to three regional campuses, hosting more than 1,900 full-time faculty, 1,150 residents and fellows, and more than 800 students.

UAB is making a major investment in the future of biomedical discovery with a new, flagship research facility purpose-built to recruit and empower up to 80 principal investigators. This state-of-the-art building delivers highly flexible wet and dry laboratory space, integrated vivarium infrastructure, and intentionally designed adjacencies that catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration across biomedical science, neuroscience, and psychology. Positioned at the center of campus and engineered for scale, the facility offers investigators an exceptional environment to build ambitious, well-funded research programs with global impact.

Successful applicants will join one of the strongest neuroscience environments in the country. The UAB Comprehensive Neuroscience Center (CNC) has more than 450 neuroscience research faculty, clinicians, staff, students & trainees representing 32 UAB departments across 9 UAB schools and spanning a diverse range of neuroscience research areas. The CNC serves as a focal point for basic and applied neuroscience research at UAB. Several centers and institutes at UAB focus on the specific areas of interest, including the Civitan International Research Center (CIRC), Killion Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics (KCNET), an NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Multiple Sclerosis Center, Depression and Suicide Center, Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention (CAPPI), Civitan International Neuroimaging Laboratory, Advanced Imaging Facility, and Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute. UAB is one of 42 institutions with an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award, which supports translational research and creates a supportive environment that promotes junior investigators.

This entry (instructor)-level position is for a basic science researcher to investigate mechanisms of neuropathic pain with a specific focus on the RNA regulation of neuroinflammation as a major driver of pain-initiating neuronal hyperexcitability and hypersensitivity. The candidate should hold a PhD degree and have training in RNA biology, glial biology, and models of neuropathic pain. Experience with RNA binding proteins, noncoding RNAs, RNA metabolism as they relate to neuroinflammation is desirable. He/she should have at least 3 years experience beyond post-doctoral fellowship training and a track record of publications in basic RNA biology and pain models.

UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, religion, and veteran’s status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB’s Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix

A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.

MD, PhD, and MD/PhD.

Priority will be given to applicants with dynamic research programs focused on brain health and disease across the lifespan. Areas of focus include: Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurodevelopment, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Autism and Intellectual Disorders, Epilepsy, Substance Use Disorders (Addiction & Motivated Behavior), Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, Circadian Rhythms and Sleep, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Human IPSC/Organoid Models.

UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, religion, and veteran’s status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB’s Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix.

This is a departmental requisition to place a strategic recruitment identified from requisition F2789P in the Department of Neurology.

A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.