# NYU Abu Dhabi — Research Scientist, Circadian Neural Networks **Division of Science (Biology) · Dr Dipesh Chaudhury, co-supervised with Justin Blau** | | | |---|---| | Posting | https://apply.interfolio.com/189083 | | Opened | 15 July 2026 · open until filled | | Location | Abu Dhabi | | Questions | nyuad.neurosystems@nyu.edu | | Terms | "Very competitive", housing and children's education subsidies, relocation allowance | | Required | Cover letter · CV · **degree transcript** · one-page research summary · **at least 2 letters of recommendation** — all PDF | --- ## Read this before you spend anything on it **She does not meet the stated requirements, and the gap is not the kind a good cover letter closes.** I have built the full package below because you asked for it, but you should decide with the numbers in front of you. The advertisement says, verbatim: > *"Applicants must have a PhD with at least six years research experience in Circadian > Biology post PhD."* > *"Additional requirements are excellent communication skills in English and knowledge in > advanced electrophysiological techniques."* Against that: | They require | She has | |---|---| | **6 years post-PhD in circadian biology** | ~1 year post-PhD, and **no circadian biology at all** | | **Advanced electrophysiology** | **None.** No patch clamp, no slice recording, no Clampfit | | Stereotaxic brain surgery for circuit tracing | Tumour models — no neurosurgery | | Single-cell gene expression + single-cell analysis | RT-qPCR and Western blot; no single-cell work | | Bulk RNA sequencing and analysis | No sequencing | | Spatial genomics | None | | Mouse behavioural work (wheel running, PIR) | No behavioural neuroscience | | High-quality first-author paper | **Yes** — genuinely strong | | Mouse brain immunohistochemistry | IHC yes, brain tissue no | | Excellent English | Yes | She clears two of the nine, and misses the two the advert marks as mandatory by the widest possible margin: she is **six years short** on the experience requirement and has **zero** electrophysiology. This is a senior neuroscience post for someone who has spent their whole career on circadian rhythms. It is not adjacent to cancer nanomedicine; it is a different discipline that happens to share the word "mouse". ### The part that actually costs something This application needs **two letters of recommendation and a degree transcript**. That means asking Prof. Yongzhuo Huang to write a letter for a post she cannot get, and asking SIMM's registry for documents. Referee goodwill is a finite resource. She will need Prof. Huang's letters for the UAEU postdoc, for an MSCA host application, and for every serious post that follows. Spending the first ask of the year on a six-year-experience gap is a poor trade. **My recommendation: do not send this one.** ### What to do instead, at the same university NYU Abu Dhabi is the right target — it is the highest-ranked university in the UAE and it is hiring across the Division of Science. The route in is the one already prepared in `02_NYUAD_Magzoub_AbuDhabi/`: **Dr Mazin Magzoub**, Associate Professor of Biology, whose lab builds peptides, polymeric nanoparticles and mesoporous carriers to deliver antitumour agents. That is her actual field, and no advertisement stands between her and an email. Same institution. Same benefits. A conversation she can win. Also worth checking, since this posting proves the Division of Science is recruiting: the live NYUAD listings at `https://www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs/minisites/new-york-university-abu-dhabi/listings/` — there are three Chemistry posts open, and one may prove delivery-adjacent. --- ## If you send it anyway Everything needed is in this folder. It is written honestly — the cover letter does not claim circadian or electrophysiology experience, because a panel of electrophysiologists would catch it in one question and it would cost her the credibility she has. | File | What it is | |---|---| | `CV_Dipika_Kalambhe.pdf` | **Research-Scientist-Bioscience** variant, built for this application — leads with molecular biology, in vivo work and imaging rather than formulation | | `CV_Dipika_Kalambhe_ATS.pdf` | Plain version, if Interfolio parses the upload | | `Cover_Letter.md` | Names the gap in the second paragraph, then argues the transferable case | | `Research_Summary_1page.md` | The required one-page summary of accomplishments and interests | | `Email.md` | Enquiry to nyuad.neurosystems@nyu.edu — **send this first** | | `Referee_Request.md` | What to send Prof. Huang if she decides to proceed | ### Send the enquiry email first This is the one genuinely smart move available. `nyuad.neurosystems@nyu.edu` is published for questions. A short, honest note asking whether they would consider someone without the circadian background costs nothing, spends no referee goodwill, and gets a yes or no in days. **If they say no, she has lost an email. If they say yes, the application is worth building.** Do not ask Prof. Huang for letters before that reply arrives. ## The transcript Her degree transcript must come from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica / University of Chinese Academy of Sciences registry. This is not something that can be produced here, and it can take weeks from a Chinese institution. **She will need it for other applications too**, so requesting it now is worthwhile regardless of what she decides about this post.