Post Doctoral Associate-Kozai Lab

About the role

The Department of Bioengineering is seeking a Post Doctoral Associate to investigate how glial and neurovascular biology shapes the brain’s chronic response to perturbation. This position is funded by an NIH R01 studying how microglia, astrocyte, oligodendrocyte health and myelination influence long-term neural circuit function.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments characterizing microglial, astrocytic, oligodendrocytic, and neurovascular responses to chronic CNS perturbation using immunohistochemistry, confocal and multiphoton imaging, flow cytometry, and molecular assays (qPCR, Western blot, RNA-seq).
• Investigate how glial phenotypic transitions evolve over time and how they are modulated by pharmacological interventions, genetic tools, and environmental parameters.
• Characterize oligodendrocyte and myelin dynamics, including OPC proliferation, differentiation, and remyelination potential, in the context of chronic neuroinflammation.
• Develop and apply in vitro platforms (primary glial cultures, iPSC-derived microglia, co-culture systems) to model glial-neuronal-vascular interactions under controlled conditions.
• Integrate biological characterization with ongoing electrophysiology, imaging, and computational modeling efforts within the lab and across collaborative teams.
• Contribute to active manuscript projects on myelin remodeling, metabolic dysfunction, and glial coordination at the neural interface.
• Build analysis pipelines for histological, transcriptomic, and proteomic datasets using R, Python, MATLAB, or ImageJ/Fiji.
• Prepare results for peer-reviewed manuscripts, conference presentations, and grant applications.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate trainees in experimental methods and quantitative analysis.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in neuroscience, neurobiology, biomedical engineering, molecular/cellular biology, immunology, physiology, or a related field.
• Demonstrated research experience studying glial cells (microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes), neuroinflammation, neurovascular biology, or the tissue response to CNS injury or disease.
• Hands-on experience with at least two of the following: immunohistochemistry, confocal or multiphoton microscopy, flow cytometry, rodent surgical procedures, molecular assays (qPCR, Western blot, ELISA), or RNA-seq.
• Proficiency in quantitative data analysis using R, Python, MATLAB, or equivalent tools.
• Strong record of scientific productivity, including first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Preferred Experience

• With in vivo rodent models of neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, demyelination, traumatic brain injury, or stroke.
• Experience with iPSC-derived glial cultures or in vitro co-culture systems modeling neuro-glial interactions.
• Familiarity with transcriptomic or proteomic analysis pipelines (e.g., DESeq2, IPA, Cytoscape).
• Background in oligodendrocyte biology, myelination, or OPC dynamics.
• Interest in translational neuroscience, neural interfaces, or neurostimulation.
• Prior device experience is welcome but not required; training will be provided.