His next position was at the University of California, San Francisco as a research fellow and associate professor in pharmacology.
[2] Insel joined the faculty of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 1978, where he has taught and researched to present day.
[4] He is the Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine and one of the co-directors of the UCSD Medical Scientist (MD/PhD) Training Program.
[5] Insel primarily researches G proteins, including G protein-coupled receptors, heterotrimeric G-proteins and G protein-regulated effectors.
[5] He succeeded Arthur K. Cho as the editor of the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology in 2008.