Associate/Full Professor in Physical Activity and Brain/Mental Health

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University's Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

The School of Science Department of Psychology and the School of Health and Human Sciences at Indiana University, Indianapolis invite applications for a tenured associate or full professor position at the intersection of physical activity and brain/mental health. The ideal candidate will have an outstanding scholarly record of human subjects research focused on physical activity, sedentary behavior, exercise, and/or related constructs, particularly in connection with mental health and brain function. Research programs across the bench-to-bedside-to-community continuum are welcome.

Potential areas of interest for this position include but are not limited to:

• Developing, testing, and/or implementing innovative interventions targeting physical activity and/or sedentary behavior to prevent or treat mental illness, substance use, or brain disorders
• Exploring mental health in high level athletes and the connection between mental health and sport performance
• Conducting trials with novel devices targeting physical activity and/or sedentary behavior to prevent or treat mental illness, substance use, or brain disorders
• Integrating passive monitoring data with the electronic health record to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental health, substance use, or brain disorders
• Improving approaches to measuring and monitoring physical activity and sedentary behavior, such as actigraphy, mobile tracking technology, passive monitoring, and artificial intelligence applications
• Elucidating mechanisms (e.g., systemic inflammation, gut microbiota, etc.) underlying the impact of physical activity and sedentary behavior on mental health (e.g., substance use, anxiety, depression, mood regulation, stress and coping) and/or brain function (e.g., brain plasticity, synaptic growth, brain network organization and connectivity, cognitive function)
• Using advanced neuroimaging and/or machine learning techniques to understand the connection between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and brain health
• Examining the effects of prolonged sedentary behavior on brain and mental health, particularly in aging populations, and identifying the neurobiological pathways though which these effects impact conditions like depression, anxiety, and dementia
• Advancing understanding of the impacts of mental health, substance use, or brain function (e.g., traumatic brain injury, brain aging, depression) on physical activity and/or sedentary behavior
• Studying how disruptions in circadian and behavioral rhythms and interventions addressing such rhythms impact mental health, substance use, or brain function

Exciting collaborative research efforts in areas overlapping with Physical Activity and Brain/Mental Health are currently underway at IU Indianapolis. In one large project, IU Indianapolis faculty are actively engaging the Indiana Pacers, USA Gymnastics, and Penske Racing, among others, in a large collaborative effort to explore factors impacting women's sports performance. In another effort, faculty at IU Indianapolis are working toward establishing a research center focused on injury recovery in women across the lifespan. These efforts and others could provide terrific opportunities at IU Indianapolis for the successful candidate.

The successful candidate will have high-impact peer-reviewed publications and an independently funded research agenda (e.g., NIH R01-funded or equivalent) as Principal Investigator. Candidates leading externally funded research groups (with research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and/or research staff) are especially encouraged to apply.

This position is a strategic joint-hire with the newly established IU Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing at IU Indianapolis. The mission of H2W is to foster collaborative research at the intersection of health, life science, and technology to meet community needs and improve health outcomes in the State of Indiana. The creation of H2W, along with the current construction of a new 50,000 sq ft state-of-the-art research building on the IU Indianapolis campus to house Institute faculty, was made possible by a record investment by the Indiana State Legislature (IU invests more than $250M to strengthen university's, state's leadership and impact in biosciences: IU News).

As an H2W investigator or fellow, the joint hire will have access to additional resources in support of their program of research, including seed funding for new projects, graduate student/postdoctoral training support, access to core facilities, research space in the new state-of-the-art research building, and opportunities to lead interdisciplinary research teams. In addition, they will have the added benefit of having access to additional seed funding, graduate students, and facilities in both the School of Science and School of Health and Human Sciences.

The primary appointment – in either the Department of Psychology in the School of Science or the School of Health and Human Sciences – will be determined based on the successful candidate's background. This is a research-intensive position. The candidate is expected to engage in interdisciplinary research and collaborative endeavors that transcend institutional silos to initiate and advance ambitious research initiatives at IU Indianapolis and within H2W. The candidate is also expected to contribute to translational research efforts that have a significant impact on the growing health, life, and technology ecosystem at IU Indianapolis. Some teaching in support of the educational missions of the primary and secondary appointments is expected, although the teaching load will be reduced to protect more time for research.

The candidate will interact with other IU centers/institutes (e.g., Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Convergent Biosciences and Technology Institute) and affiliated researchers. In addition, the IU Indianapolis campus is home to the IU School of Medicine—the largest medical school in the country and who received $517 million in external research funding in 2024.

As the state's premier urban research institution, IU Indianapolis is committed to being a welcoming campus community. We seek candidates who will pursue the highest standards of academic excellence and whose research, teaching, and community engagement efforts contribute to welcoming and respectful learning and working environments for our students, staff, and faculty.

Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

Review of applications will begin on or shortly after November 1, 2025. However, applications will be welcomed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Basic Qualifications - Candidates are expected to possess a PhD from a field related to the themes described, including but not limited to neuroscience, psychology, exercise science, public health, kinesiology, or physical therapy. Candidates are expected to have achieved tenure at their current institution. Candidates are expected to have a record of outstanding research productivity with impact in any of the above-mentioned areas, as well as a demonstrated ability to secure and sustain externally funded research.

Department Contact for Questions - Jeanette Jefferson E-mail address: jajeffer@iu.edu

Additional Qualifications

Salary and Rank - Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Special Instructions - Application documents; Curriculum Vitae Letter of Application Research Agenda Description of professional experience and teaching experience Contact information of three references

For Best Consideration Date - 11/01/2025

Expected Start Date - 08/01/2026

Posting Number - IU-101329-2025