I am finally ready to enter the U.S. academic job market (aka the "Thunderdome") in search of a TT asst professor position. If you hear about any job postings in your department, please send them my way.

Here are some reasons why you should and should not hire me...

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Before I begin, I spent a lot of time on my website, so if you want details on my research in developmental neurobiology or my science advocacy/community organizing work, please go to http://MichaelFWellsPhD.com .

Ok so what are some reasons to hire me that you won't find on my CV?

I WILL SAVE YOU MONEY.

I am short and take up little space. I fit in the overhead compartments of most airplanes meaning I will not request reimbursements for business-related flights.

I WILL DEFEAT YOUR ENEMIES.

Despite my size, I am actually very good at softball and once had a 17 at-bat hit streak during the MIT C-League 2014 season. Though we lost in the finals that year, I promise to win your department some rings.

I AM COOL.

I don't know why they like me, but I am proud to be friends with some of the greatest living musicians on the planet, and they can't wait to visit my new lab.

Oh, and one time I shook Obama's hand.

Reasons not to hire me:

1. You like to waste money.
2. You like to lose.
3. You are not cool.

In all seriousness, this is a big step for me. I know things will be tough this hiring cycle because of the pandemic and many places will not have openings, but I am nevertheless confident and excited to put myself out there.

My lab will focus on understanding how variation in the human genome contributes to diversity in human neurological and psychological traits and disease. We will use human cell "villages", CRISPR-Cas9 screening, scRNA-seq, and animal behavioral assays, among other techniques.

I would not be in this position were it not for my mentors Guoping Feng & @EgganLab, as well as collaborators @s_mccarroll & Mike Halassa. Thank you all.

Finally, I want to say good luck to all of the other post-docs on the market this year. We will find our homes.

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