FAYETTEVILLE -- Neuroscience research will be the focus for some "major hires" at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, according to a new job posting.
The university is seeking to hire two tenure-track faculty members and, in the job posting, cites a plan for "major hires in neuroscience along with major investments in infrastructure needed to conduct next-generation research in neuroscience."
UA spokesman Mark Rushing on Wednesday said he could not immediately confirm details about what such a "major investment" might mean.
Chancellor Joe Steinmetz, UA's top administrator since January 2016, is a behavioral neuroscientist.
In October, he spoke about a need for new research space but did not talk about neuroscience specifically in his annual all-campus address.
Steinmetz spoke about early plans for a new campus research building estimated to cost "in the neighborhood" of $75 million to $80 million. He also described talks about boosting research collaborations with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and a slide presentation that was part of the speech listed "Neuroscience and Brain Function" among 10 potential areas of research collaboration between UA and UAMS.
Neuroscience research can involve studies in biology, brain imaging and various psychiatric disorders.
A primary source of funding for neuroscience research is the National Institutes of Health, a federal agency that's part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Within the agency, there are 27 different research institutes and centers, including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
In fiscal 2018, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded about $2.7 million to researchers throughout Arkansas, according to data provided by institute spokesman Carl Wonders. None of that money went to researchers based at UA, according to Wonders.
The job posting, published on the UA website, states that the university is looking to fill two tenure-track assistant professor positions.
The appointments are to begin in August of next year, according to the job posting, which also cites the university's "strategic plan to increase neuroscience research" as being "part of the university's commitment to its signature area of enriching human health and community vibrancy." UA in January announced three signature research areas. The other two are advancing the data revolution, and innovating a resilient and sustainable future.
Douglas Behrend, chairman of the UA Department of Psychological Science, deferred comment to Rushing. The job posting listed the psychology department as "a leader in the campus neuroscience initiative."
A New York-based advocate for science research, Haung Yu, said it's likely that more than half of Americans have some type of brain-related illness.
Yu, a researcher who studies Alzheimer's disease, said neuroscience-focused research has been on the rise in the U.S. and globally.
In an email, Yu said there has been a "concerted effort" by the National Institutes of Health to "help address both the basic mechanisms of the brain and how it is affected [by] diseases."
Yu said philanthropic dollars are also supporting neuroscience research.
Metro on 12/05/2019