MindCORE Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Scholars

MindCORE seeks to recruit outstanding postdoctoral researchers for our Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Scholars. Housed within the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, MindCORE is an interdisciplinary effort to understand human intelligence and behavior.

Designed for individuals who have recently obtained a PhD degree in neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, computer science or other cognitive science discipline, the MindCORE Fellowship is a springboard for early researchers as they establish their own research program. Fellows are expected to pursue collaborative relationships with faculty working across disciplines at Penn. These collaborations may take different forms from engaging in research projects with multiple faculty independently, to generating new collaborative research that brings multiple faculty together, to contributing to interdisciplinary discussion and reading groups. Find a list of current and former MindCORE Fellows here: https://mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/people/

Benefits

Fellows receive a competitive salary, relocation allowance, health insurance, plus a modest research budget of $20,000. Fellows also benefit from access to the greater community of academics including visiting scholars plus leading research facilities equipped with cutting-edge instrumentation all on an urban campus in a vibrant city. Because of the benefits of joining our Penn community, this is a Philadelphia-based (not remote) position. Fellows are invited to join regular working group meetings within their field plus career development workshops aimed at young researchers, and will be provided with a mentoring committee. Funding is provided in one-year terms renewable for up to three years.

Eligibility & Application

Applicants must have formally completed all requirements of the PhD degree and provide a copy of their diploma at the time of appointment (typically July 1, 2026 – Jan 15, 2027). Penn has a five-year term limit for postdocs, so candidates ideally have 0-2 years of previous postdoc time. Candidates must submit a research statement that identifies at least three MindCORE faculty at Penn with whom the applicant would be interested in collaborating, along with a CV, contact information for two referees, and a cover letter addressing the applicant’s strengths with respect to the selection criteria below.  Applicants should be mindful of the interdisciplinary backgrounds of the reviewers and make the proposals clear to readers.

Submitted documents should be saved with candidate’s Lastname_Firstname.PDF in one PDF file in this order: cover letter, research statement, CV, and referees. (Note: we do not require recommendation letters at the time of application and only those candidates who are invited to interview will be asked to obtain letters.) Complete applications should be submitted, along with some basic information, using our online application form that will open in October.

Submit through online form here: https://mindcore.sas.upenn.edu/post-doctoral-research-fellowship/ The deadline to apply is December 1, 2025.

Selection

All eligible and complete applications will be evaluated by the Selection Committee. Applications are judged on the following criteria

- Scientific excellence
- Potential to contribute to or lead within a diverse academic community
- Scientific match and interdisciplinarity
- Career potential

See Frequently Asked Questions (PDF).

MindCORE seeks to award ~2 postdoctoral Fellowships per year. Positions may start as early as July 1, 2026.

Questions? Contact [email protected].