Postdoctoral Research Associate - Developmental Neurobiology

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital • Memphis, TN

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About The Position

A postdoctoral research associate position with Dr. Xinwei Cao investigates how transcriptional regulatory networks establish and maintain neural identity during brain development. The project combines mouse genetic models, genome-wide profiling, and mechanistic assays to determine how transcriptional regulators engage cofactors and select cis-regulatory elements to control gene expression in neural progenitors. The research may reveal fundamental principles of cell fate specification and provide insight into lineage infidelity in diseases such as cancer.

The postdoctoral fellow will conduct genomics, functional, and mechanistic studies and contribute to rigorous, reproducible research. The lab offers personalized mentoring and encourages the fellow to take intellectual ownership of a defined project, with guidance, feedback, and training in experimental, analytical, and scientific communication skills. Trainees can present their work, participate in grant writing and career development activities, and collaborate across developmental neurobiology, genomics, imaging, and computational biology. Institutional core resources and professional development programs are available.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a multidisciplinary research institution dedicated to pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases of childhood. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. The postdoctoral position offers a competitive salary starting at $72,500 per year, comprehensive benefits, and relocation assistance.

Requirements

• PhD in biology or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with standard molecular biology techniques, such as molecular cloning.
• Ability to perform experiments consistently and rigorously.
• Ability to design experiments rationally and analyze data critically.
• Clear scientific communication skills, including writing, figure preparation, and presentations.
• Strong collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

• Strong background in developmental neurobiology and/or gene regulation.
• Experience in biochemistry and molecular biology techniques involving protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions.
• Experience with computational analysis of sequencing data using R, Python, or established pipelines.
• Strong publication record.

Responsibilities

• Perform and troubleshoot genomics assays, including bulk RNA-seq, CUT&RUN, ATAC-seq, and single-cell RNA-seq, and integrate datasets to identify regulatory mechanisms and key targets.
• Conduct in vivo and ex vivo functional studies, including in vivo perturbation experiments using viral delivery and electroporation, and perform quantitative histological and molecular phenotyping.
• Develop and apply in vitro mechanistic assays to study transcription factor interactions and transcription factor–DNA interactions.
• Maintain rigorous documentation and reproducible analysis workflows.
• Contribute to manuscripts, presentations, and grant-related writing.
• Participate in team science within the lab and with collaborators in areas such as computational biology, bioinformatics, and gene regulation.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits.
• Generous relocation assistance.
• Professional development allowance.
• Grant writing workshops, individual development plans, teaching and mentoring opportunities, and non-research career advancement programs.
• Access to shared resources and facilities led by expert scientists.
• Competitive salary starting at $72,500 per year.

What This Job Offers

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