Post Doctoral Fellow

Mass General Brigham • Belmont, CA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

McLean Hospital is a comprehensive psychiatric hospital committed to providing easy access to superior quality, cost-effective mental health services. Since 1811, McLean Hospital has been a world leader in the treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency, research into the cause of mental illness and the training of generations of mental health care providers. McLean's multidisciplinary programs treat a broad range of psychiatric illnesses across the full continuum of care. All McLean team members are expected to consistently demonstrate our values of integrity, compassion, respect, diversity, teamwork, excellence and innovation in their work activities and interactions. A post-doctoral fellow typically holds dual affiliations at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. There are many opportunities for education and growth in our multidisciplinary, collaborative research environment at McLean Hospital that brings together a diverse group of neurobiologists, clinicians, psychologists and statisticians.

Requirements

• Hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree in neuroscience, molecular or cellular biology, neurobiology, neuropathology, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline.
• Work independently under general direction of the Principal Investigator
• Be motivated, meticulous, organized, and detail-oriented
• Demonstrate initiative and enthusiasm for learning new techniques
• Have strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Possess strong technical abilities and computer science skills
• Possess exceptional written and oral communication skills as demonstrated by publications and presentation
• Possess the ability to make independent and effective decisions in a timely fashion
• Possess competence in research techniques and methodologies
• Have excellent interpersonal skills
• Be a team player who works well with other lab members
• Prior lab experience required.
• Must have evidence of strong scientific productivity, including peer-reviewed publications.
• Open to highly motivated candidates with a relevant background.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in fluorescence or confocal microscopy and quantitative image analysis
• Experience in human postmortem brain research, neuroanatomy, or neuropathology
• Experience in primary cell culture or iPSC-derived neural, glial, or vascular cells
• Experience in single-cell or single-nucleus RNA sequencing
• Experience in molecular biology, histology, or multiplex RNA/protein detection
• Experience in blood–brain barrier or neurovascular-unit biology
• Experience in glial biology, neuroimmunology, or stress and immune signaling
• Experience in bioinformatics, transcriptomic analysis, or integration of multimodal datasets
• Scientific curiosity, careful attention to experimental rigor, excellent organizational and communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Performs independent and highly specialized experimental procedures
• Designs and implements modifications of research protocols
• Troubleshooting problems and instructing colleagues in highly specialized techniques
• Synthesizes and interprets results
• Performs advanced data recording and analysis using various software programs and statistical techniques
• Maintaining organized and detailed records of laboratory experiments in electronic laboratory notebooks
• Presentation of results at lab meetings and national conferences
• Preparation and submission of research manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals
• Assisting with preparation of grant applications
• Other duties as assigned
• Conduct studies using well-characterized human postmortem brain specimens from donors with psychiatric disorders and unaffected comparison donors.
• Perform advanced fluorescence microscopy, multiplex in situ RNA and protein detection, and quantitative image analysis.
• Investigate cellular morphology, cytoarchitecture, microvascular organization, and structural features of the blood–brain barrier and NVU.
• Establish and study primary human astrocyte, microglial, and brain endothelial cell cultures derived from postmortem brain tissue.
• Conduct experiments using iPSC-derived glial and vascular cell models, including comparisons with primary cells and native brain tissue from the same donors.
• Design experiments examining cellular responses to cytokines, stress neuropeptides, and other immune or metabolic challenges.
• Apply single-cell or single-nucleus transcriptomic approaches to whole brain tissue, isolated microvasculature, and cultured cells.
• Analyze cell-type-specific and coordinated multicellular gene-expression programs involving neurons, astrocytes, microglia, endothelial cells, pericytes, and other NVU components.
• Integrate molecular, cellular, morphological, and functional measures with transdiagnostic dimensions of stress-related symptoms.
• Work collaboratively with investigators specializing in psychiatry, neuropathology, stem-cell biology, genomics, computational biology, and clinical phenotyping.
• Contribute to experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript preparation, scientific presentations, and grant applications.
• Develop independent research questions and pursue opportunities for fellowship and career-development funding.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits
• Career advancement opportunities
• Differentials, premiums, and bonuses as applicable
• Recognition programs designed to celebrate your contributions and support your professional growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree