What counts as a newly funded lab?

A lab whose NIH award notice in the last 90 days was a new (Type 1) R01, or an R00 award, the independent phase of the K99/R00 Pathway to Independence that starts when a former postdoc opens their own lab. Competing renewals, non-competing continuations, and later R00 years are left out. The mental health list uses awards administered or funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Are these labs hiring postdocs?

Not necessarily. A new award is a signal that a lab has new money and new work to staff, not a job posting. Some positions are filled before they are ever advertised, so a short, specific email to the PI soon after an award is the earliest way to ask.

Where does the data come from?

NIH RePORTER, the public NIH database of funded projects. Counts on this page refresh from RePORTER award notices about twice a day; each lab links to its official RePORTER record.

Why are the labs blurred?

The counts are free. The PI, institution, and project for each lab are part of the Postdoc job leads plan ($59/year or $9.99/month), which also emails you new matching R01 and R00 awards daily or weekly.

Postdoc job leads · Mental Health

Newly funded mental health labs that may be hiring postdocs

Psychiatry, behavioral neuroscience, and mental health services labs with a new NIMH R01 or R00. A PI who just landed a new grant often has new positions to fill, so these are the labs worth writing to first.

NIH award notices from July 27, 2026 to October 25, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026

Newly funded labs (90 days)

128

New R01 awards

128

R00 starts (new faculty)

Institutions

The 128 labs, newest first

How to use postdoc job leads

…and 116 more newly funded mental health labs in the last 90 days.

Where the new mental health money went

By month

July 2026	14
August 2026	64
September 2026	50

Top states

CA	23
MA	13
NY	13
PA	10
CT	7
NC	7
TX	7
MO	5

Top institutions

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH	6
YALE UNIVERSITY	6
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY	5
STANFORD UNIVERSITY	4
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	4
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	4
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO	4
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA	4

The median award amount on these notices is $755K, as reported on NIH RePORTER, and the labs are spread across 28 states.

How to approach a newly funded lab

Read the funded project. The abstract and specific aims on the RePORTER record tell you what the new money pays for, which is the work a new postdoc would do.
Match one skill to one aim. In a short email, name the aim you could help with and the technique or result from your own work that fits it.
Write early. A lab that just received a notice may not have posted a position yet. An R00 start means a brand-new lab, often with no postdocs at all.
Follow up once. PIs are busy right after an award; one polite follow-up after two weeks is reasonable.

More detail in how postdocs find funded PIs and how to contact a PI.

Get new mental health labs by email

Postdoc job leads unlocks every lab on these pages and emails you daily or weekly when a new R01 or R00 matches your keyword or state. $59/year, or $9.99/month. Cancel anytime.

Get postdoc job leads for $59/year

Questions

What counts as a newly funded lab?: A lab whose NIH award notice in the last 90 days was a new (Type 1) R01, or an R00 award, the independent phase of the K99/R00 Pathway to Independence that starts when a former postdoc opens their own lab. Competing renewals, non-competing continuations, and later R00 years are left out. The mental health list uses awards administered or funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Are these labs hiring postdocs?: Not necessarily. A new award is a signal that a lab has new money and new work to staff, not a job posting. Some positions are filled before they are ever advertised, so a short, specific email to the PI soon after an award is the earliest way to ask.
Where does the data come from?: NIH RePORTER, the public NIH database of funded projects. Counts on this page refresh from RePORTER award notices about twice a day; each lab links to its official RePORTER record.
Why are the labs blurred?: The counts are free. The PI, institution, and project for each lab are part of the Postdoc job leads plan ($59/year or $9.99/month), which also emails you new matching R01 and R00 awards daily or weekly.

Newly funded labs at a glance