Research Field Guide
How to Get a Neuroscience Research Position
To get a Neuroscience research position, find professors who are actively publishing in Neuroscience, read what they actually work on, and email one of them a short, specific note. The work mixes in-person and computational tasks, so there is a way to help either on-site or remotely.
Below are 12 professors publishing in Neuroscience right now, what each is working on, and how to reach out. Every name and topic is pulled from real, recent publication data, not a generic list.
Neuroscience professors who are actively publishing
| Professor | Institution | Recent research focus |
|---|---|---|
| Perminder S. Sachdev | Department of Health and Aged Care | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
| John C. Morris | Washington University in St. Louis | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
| Demis Hassabis | Google (United States) | Neural dynamics and brain function |
| Anders M. Dale | J. Craig Venter Institute | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
| Nick C. Fox | UK Dementia Research Institute | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
| Karl Friston | Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging | Neural dynamics and brain function |
| Trevor W. Robbins | University of Cambridge | Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior |
| Paul M. Thompson | University of Southern California | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
| Stephen M. Smith | John Radcliffe Hospital | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
| Solomon H. Snyder | Johns Hopkins University | Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research |
| Mark P. Mattson | Johns Hopkins University | Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research |
| Philip Scheltens | Inserm | Functional Brain Connectivity Studies |
Sourced from OpenAlex publication records. Click a name to see their full profile and recent papers.
What Neuroscience research involves
Neuroscience asks how the brain produces behavior, memory, and disease. Labs split across a few camps: systems and cognitive neuroscience that maps neural dynamics and functional brain connectivity, usually with fMRI or EEG; molecular and cellular work on neurotransmitter receptors and how single cells signal; and clinical research on disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Day to day, the field is genuinely mixed. Imaging and modeling labs live in code and large datasets, so you can contribute remotely. Wet-lab and animal labs need you at the bench or rig in person. Read a professor's recent papers first to tell which kind of lab you are emailing.
How to email a Neuroscience professor
Before you email, figure out whether the lab is computational or wet-lab, because your offer should match. For an imaging or modeling lab (think functional connectivity or neural dynamics), say you can help analyze data and name a real skill: Python, MATLAB, R, or experience with fMRI or EEG pipelines. For a wet-lab or animal lab, offer to be on-site and learn their techniques, and stress that you are careful and reliable with protocols. In both cases, point to one specific recent paper and ask one concrete question about it. Keep it under 150 words and never call the work groundbreaking.
Neuroscience overlaps with nearby fields. If you are casting a wider net, look at research positions in Cognitive Science, Psychology, Computational Biology, and Biomedical Engineering.