Position Announcement

FPR-UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development

The FPR-UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development (CBD) invites applications for two postdoctoral fellowships and two predoctoral fellowships for study beginning in Fall, 2004.

CBD was established with a grant from the Foundation for Psycho-cultural Research. It offers graduate and postdoctoral training in theory and methods integrating research on development, brain function, and cultural processes. CBD fosters training and research on how these three systems affect and depend on each other in normal or pathological conditions. The training programs consist of cross-disciplinary research collaboration or mentoring, attendance at the Forum on Culture, Brain, and Development, and participating in the integrative seminar on Culture, Brain, and Development. Fellows are eligible to apply for small CBD research grants.

Post-doctoral fellows will conduct research and participate in seminars with CBD trainees and faculty in Anthropology, Psychology, Applied Linguistics, Education, Psychiatry, and the Neuroscience program (including the Brain Mapping Center). Primary training or mentoring must be in a field different from the Fellow's Ph.D. field, and trainees should have mentors in at least two of the three program areas. Fellows will receive a stipend of approximately $31,000, plus benefits, along with $3000 in research funds, available by application. They may have opportunities for summer school or other teaching. These fellowships are renewable for a second year, contingent on performance.

Applicants who have their own post-doctoral funding are also invited to apply to participate in the CBD program, and are eligible to apply for the supplemental research funds.

Review of applications for postdocs will begin on February 2, 2004 and continue until the positions are filled. Applicants must have a Ph.D., Ed.D., or M.D. in hand by September 1, 2004. Prospective applicants should contact potential CBD faculty sponsors well in advance of the deadline to formulate research and training plans. Applicants should demonstrate expertise or definite research goals in at least two of the three core areas (culture, brain, and development), have a clearly formulated interest in the third field, and explain exactly why they want further training that integrates these three fields. Applicants may propose specific research projects and must explain why they want to receive training at CBD and work with particular CBD faculty. Applicants should submit a CV, a letter detailing research history and plans, and two or three representative publications, manuscripts, or copies of submitted grant proposals; they should arrange for three or more letters of reference. Materials should be sent to:

CBD Fellowship Committee
Department of Anthropology, UCLA
Box 951553
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1553
(For non-USPS express deliveries, use 341 Haines Hall, 405 Hilgard Avenue).

For further information about this program and participating faculty, see the CBD website (www.cbd.ucla.edu), contact Tom Weisner, call the CBD office (Andrew Galperin, coordinator) at 310 825-5326, or contact any of the relevant faculty participants listed on the CBD website.

(The Foundation for Psycho-cultural Research (http://www.thefpr.org/) also has a separate but similar program with post-doctoral fellowships that can be used at any university. Contact the FPR separately through their website regarding this program.) Pre-doctoral Center for Culture, Brain, and Development fellowships are available to graduate students admitted to the UCLA Departments and Programs in Anthropology, Psychology, Applied Linguistics, Education, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience. Applicants MUST apply to one of these programs in the regular way, indicating in their statement of purpose that they would like to participate in CBD and be considered for a CBD Fellowship. Predoctoral fellowships cannot be applied for separately, and are only awarded after a candidate is admitted to one of these UCLA departments. CBD Pre-Doctoral Fellows must have at least two CBD Faculty mentors, at least one of whom must be outside their home department. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for a PhD in their home department, Pre-Doctoral Fellows must take at least one appropriate methodology course in another field and TA at least once in another department. The CBD Pre-Doctoral Fellowship typically covers stipend, tuition and fees for the second year of graduate study, along with a Dissertation Year Fellowship for the final year of graduate training. Support for the first and other years must be provided by the Fellow's home department (some combination of fellowships and teaching assistantships), or by an external fellowship received by the pre-doctoral fellow. Predoctoral trainees are also eligible to apply for and receive small research grants from CBD, whether or not they have a CBD fellowship. The date of closure is at the regular deadline for graduate student applications.