Postdoctoral Scholars - Ostlund Laboratory - Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care

Position Overview

Salary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is $69,073-$82,836. See Postdoctoral Scholar Table for the salary range for this position.

Application Window

Open date: October 1, 2025
Most recent review date: Wednesday, Dec 24, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.
Final date: Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

UC Irvine School of Medicine
Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care
Postdoctoral Scholars - Ostlund Laboratory

Postdoctoral Scholar position is currently open in the lab of Dr. Sean Ostlund at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine.

Research in the Ostlund lab aims to uncover neural mechanisms of adaptive motivated behavior and decision making and how they go awry to support pathological reward seeking in drug addiction and related disorders. We use sophisticated rodent behavioral assays to dissect fundamental psychological processes that guide instrumental reward-seeking behavior and combine these approaches with modern neuroscience tools including chemogenetics, optogenetics, and fiber photometry in order to interrogate neural circuit function. We are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher for a new multi-year project investigating neural mechanisms of cognitive and motivational deficits resulting from chronic opiate exposure and withdrawal.

UC Irvine boasts a vibrant neuroscience research community. The successful applicant will have ample opportunity to interact and collaborate with members of the Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience (ICAN), Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (CNLM), and the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM).

Basic Qualifications (required at time of application)

Applicants can either have a Ph.D or equivalent degree at the time of application or they could be working towards the PhD.

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with relevant training in addiction or behavioral neuroscience. Candidates who have specialized skills in rodent behavior, data science, viral neuroscience tools, and/or neuroanatomy are particularly encouraged to apply.

Department: http://www.anesthesiology.uci.edu/
School: https://www.som.uci.edu/

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Statement of Research

• 3-5 required (contact information only)