Group Leader Circuit- Model Systems of Anhedonia”

Recruitment began on November 28, 2025

and the job listing Expires on January 18, 2026

Circuit-Based Model Systems of Anhedonia

2 Postdoctoral Researchers

2 Research Assistants

What we are looking for

The Bio Med X Institute in New Haven, Connecticut, USA is establishing a new, fully funded research group in the following field:

Circuit-Based Model Systems of Anhedonia

If you hold a PhD or master’s degree with an outstanding track record or strong interest in this field, we invite you to apply with a project proposal for a position in our new research group (1 group leader, 2 postdoctoral researchers, 2 research assistants).

Each Bio Med X project team is sponsored by an industry partner. The sponsor of this call for application is Abb Vie .

Anhedonia – the diminished ability to experience pleasure – is a debilitating symptom in depression but also prevalent in a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Yet its neurobiological underpinnings remain poorly understood. While reduced dopamine activity in the ventral striatum has long been implicated, the complexity of reward circuitry involving the prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area, and amygdala points to a broader network dysfunction.

Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that neurotransmitter systems beyond dopamine – including opioids, serotonin, GABA, and glutamate – modulate the reward system in ways not yet fully mapped. The field lacks a clear mechanistic understanding of which neuronal subtypes across which brain regions are critical to manifesting anhedonia.

We invite bold proposals for innovative research projects aimed at uncovering the entangled microcircuits and molecular targets disrupted in anhedonia. The focus should be on pinpointing mechanisms – cellular, synaptic, and/or systemic – that engender anhedonia. Leveraging patient-derived data to corroborate mechanistic insights is highly encouraged.

The major objectives of the project are:

• Identify and validate pathophysiological changes relevant to anhedonia.
• Develop models with high construct validity.
• Identify new targets to treat anhedonia.

This may involve multi-modal approaches combining in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods, ideally integrating clinical or translational data.

Key deliverables of the project are:

• Identification and functional validation of specific microcircuit(s) or neurotransmitter imbalance(s) critical to anhedonia resulting in the development of human and/or animal in vitro or ex vivo models to support therapeutic advancement.
• Integration of patient-derived data or real-world data (human genomics) to support mechanistic findings.
• Identification of surrogate markers or biomarkers for anhedonia and/or treatment response.
• Discovery of potential therapeutic targets to treat anhedonia.

Proposals that challenge prevailing assumptions, employ cutting-edge technologies, or integrate machine learning with neurobiological data are especially welcomed. Projects focusing primarily on animal models with downstream behavioral outcomes without a mechanistic or circuit-based focus and therapeutic approaches focusing on medical devices are out of scope.

Please note that generic project proposals which were generated by large language models such as ChatGPT will not be considered.

Group leader positions are intended to suit candidates with a PhD (or equivalent) in neuroscience, brain research, psychiatric disorders, or in a related area who would like to develop themselves towards a leadership career path either in academia or industry and have typically between three and six years of relevant postdoctoral research experience.

Candidates for postdoctoral positions are expected to have completed a PhD (or equivalent) within the last three years and a certain degree of specialization in one or more relevant cutting-edge technologies.

What we offer

• A position in a fully funded research group with an annual budget of 1.1 million USD. The funding package covers salaries, materials, services, travel, overhead, as well as access to the core facilities on the campus of Yale University.
• A project term of 3-5…