Post-Doctoral Fellow - Pharmacology and Toxicology

At VCU, we take pride in our deep commitment to our postdoctoral community. In 2026, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) named VCU as one of only 12 recipients of its inaugural Institutional Policy Awards, in recognition of our transformative efforts to elevate quality of life and workplace equity for postdocs.

VCU postdocs are Virginia state employees, with benefits mirroring 12-month faculty. We adhere closely to the NPA’s guidelines for best practices in postdoc training. We work closely with our local NPA chapter, the VCU Postdoc Association, to make this a welcoming and productive place to complete your training!

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Preparing and maintaining brain slice or cell culture experiments, operating electrophysiology recording systems, performing and assisting with whole-cell patch clamp recording procedures. Responsibilities include preparing solutions and reagents, maintaining laboratory equipment, collecting and organizing experimental data, supporting data analysis and preparation of manuscripts for publication. Responsibilities will also include animal (mouse) handling and general laboratory organization to ensure efficient day-to-day research operations. The successful candidate will be expected to engage in training of graduate student and undergraduate trainees.

Minimum Qualifications

Ph.D. in pharmacology or related field. Demonstrated experience with at least one form of electrophysiology and also with rodent handling (including drug administration). Proven record of training others in a research laboratory environment.

Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a post doc at VCU. 

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates will be expected to have familiarity with data acquisition and analysis software, such as pClamp and Clampfit. Prior hands-on experience with whole-cell patch clamp recordings in brain slices or cultured neurons is not required but, if not already acquired, a clear interest in developing this skill-set is strongly preferred. Candidates with a demonstrated record of research related to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor pharmacology and biology, or alcohol-use disorder will be strongly preferred. Additional desirable qualifications include strong organizational and communication skills (including a track-record of publication), experience with rodent handling and basic histological techniques such as immunohistochemistry, and the ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative research environment.

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