Postdoctoral Research Fellow

UTHealth Houston's Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who will support a translational neuroscience laboratory investigating mechanisms linking Alzheimer's disease (AD), sepsis-associated encephalopathy, systemic inflammation, neuroimmune interactions, and long-term cognitive impairment. The position involves work with animal models (including the CLP sepsis model), human clinical samples, and a broad range of molecular, behavioral, and imaging techniques. The candidate should possess strong technical skills, including immunofluorescence (IF), immunohistochemistry (IHC), confocal imaging, and quantitative analysis of tissue sections. They should also be able to perform rodent behavioral tasks using the Any-maze tracking system (e.g., open field, Y-maze, fear conditioning), actively participate in the CLP sepsis procedure and related in vivo work, and analyze data using GraphPad Prism and other standard analytical software. Applicants must submit reference information/letters of recommendation for at least two professional references; one of the references may be the candidate's doctoral mentor.

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas' resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That's where you come in.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It's because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you'd expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year)
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you'll accrue
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan

We take care of our employees As a world-renowned institution, our employees' wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as...

• Free financial and legal counseling
• Free mental health counseling services
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
• Resources for child and elder care
• Plus many more

Position Summary:

A biomedical postdoc position provides an opportunity for early-career researchers to gain valuable experience, develop independent research skills, and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in their field of expertise.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Plans and conducts experiments, analyzes data, and prepares publications describing results.
• Assists in training and mentoring of lab personnel, including graduate students and other trainees.
• Reads and evaluates literature.
• Possess interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate and communicate with individuals at all levels.
• Have strong written and oral communication skills.
• Animal Models & In Vivo Procedures
• Perform rodent handling, habituation, health monitoring, and husbandry tasks following IACUC guidelines.
• Conduct Cecal Ligation and Puncture (CLP) surgery to model sepsis, including pre-operative and post-operative care, analgesia, fluid therapy, and survival monitoring.
• Assist with transponder implantation, antibiotic treatment, fluid resuscitation, and humane endpoint evaluation.
• Perform euthanasia, perfusion, and careful dissection of brain, CSF, blood, spleen, liver, lung, and gastrointestinal tissues.
• Behavioral Neuroscience Testing
• Conduct behavioral testing using Any-maze video tracking software, including: Open Field Test (locomotion/anxiety), Y-Maze (working memory), Novel Object Recognition, Contextual & Cued Fear Conditioning, SHIRPA neurological battery
• Analyze behavioral outcomes, perform data cleaning, and generate tracking heat maps and statistical outputs.
• Clinical Sample Processing
• Receive, log, and process human biological samples, including plasma, serum, CSF, PBMCs, saliva, and stool from clinical collaborators.
• Perform centrifugation, aliquoting, cryopreservation, and biobanking following established SOPs and biosafety guidelines.
• Assist in clinical database management and maintain strict tracking of participant metadata, sample IDs, and storage locations.
• Molecular & Cellular Assay
• Prepare tissue homogenates for ELISA, Western blot, qPCR, multiplex cytokine/chemokine profiling, and biochemical marker analysis (e.g., GFAP, NfL, Aβ, pTau).
• Isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) using ultracentrifugation, differential centrifugation, or size-exclusion chromatography (IZON qEV columns).
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:

Doctoral/Terminal Degree

Experience preferred:

• Laboratory Experimental Work
• Immunofluorescence (IF) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
• Confocal and Keyence Microscope Operation
• Data Management and Analysis

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.