Job Description

The mission of Yale’s Wu Tsai Institute (WTI) is to understand human cognition and explore human potential by sparking interdisciplinary inquiry. In this search, WTI invites exceptional candidates investigating cognition to apply for a tenure-track endowed faculty position at the Assistant or Associate Professor on Term rank, to begin July 2027 or later. There is one opening available.

We are particularly interested in researchers with an integrative approach, driving experimental or conceptual innovations to advance our understanding of cognition within its broader ecological, biological, or societal contexts. Examples of appealing research programs include, but are not limited to, how human cognition and behavior relate to homeostatic and physiological functions, unfold within real-world contexts, adapt to technological change, interact with artificial and autonomous agents, or operate within complex multi-agent systems. We welcome diverse and interdisciplinary methodologies, including neurobiological, behavioral, cognitive, ecological, and engineering.

Successful candidates will receive a tenure-track appointment in one or more departments in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and/or School of Medicine. WTI is dedicated to hiring, mentoring, and advocating for colleagues who foster excellence in our community through their research, teaching, mentoring, and service. We are eager to accommodate the needs of families and welcome applications from dual-career couples to this search or a combination of Yale searches.

Background: WTI was founded in 2021 by a historic gift from Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai to reveal fundamental truths about the mind through the integrated study of the brain. Based at 100 College Street in New Haven, with links to research Yale campuses, WTI rests on three pillars that coordinate its research activities: the Center for Neurodevelopment and Plasticity, the Center for Neurocognition and Behavior, and the Center for Neurocomputation and Machine Intelligence. WTI enables interdisciplinary inquiry through fellowships for co-mentored postdocs, grad students, and undergrads; shared research facilities and services with cutting-edge technologies; collaborative grants to nucleate disruptive ideas; and regular conferences, workshops, seminars, and opportunities for professional development. WTI integrates approaches across disciplines through common mathematical, statistical, and computational frameworks. WTI fosters a welcoming environment that provides equal opportunity to people of a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, please visit the WTI website: https://wti.yale.edu

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD (or equivalent) at time of hire. Current Yale scientists are not eligible for this position.

Application Instructions

The deadline to receive applications for consideration is October 15, 2026. Review of applications will begin immediately after the deadline. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Applicants will be informed about their application status by the end of January.

Applicants must submit the following materials for full consideration:

• Application Form – Indicate your desired level of tenure-track appointment (Assistant Professor or Associate Professor on Term) and broad area(s) of research.
• Research Contributions – Describe your most significant scientific discoveries and accomplishments to date. (2 pages max, references can be included in a separate page)
• Research Plans – Describe the focus and goals of your future research program in a supportive environment like WTI; address how this vision aligns with the mission of WTI to understand cognition through interdisciplinary approaches. (2 pages max, references can be included in a separate page)
• Teaching and Mentoring – Describe your philosophy, experience, and plans for mentoring and teaching students and how you foster productive, fair, and welcoming research and learning environments. (2 pages max)
• Curriculum Vitae – Include your most recent CV with links to publications (or website).
• Letters of Recommendation – You must request three letters of recommendation by the deadline.

For further information, please contact wti@yale.edu

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.

Additionally, in accordance with this Policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions; race; color; national or ethnic origin; religion; age; disability; protected veteran status, or other protected classes as set forth in federal and Connecticut law.

Professional Conduct Review for New Faculty Hires

The final candidate, upon acceptance of a contingent offer of employment/faculty appointment, may be required to disclose whether they are, or have been, the subject of any disciplinary proceeding (investigation, hearing, etc.) at previous institutions or employers, and may also be subject to a background screening. Candidates who materially misrepresent information on their resume or other application materials are ineligible for hire/appointment. Final candidates may also be required to sign a release to allow Yale to solicit information regarding any substantiated conduct violations from current and/or past employers.