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.

This role entails:
1. Animal Models & In Vivo ProceduresPerform 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.
2. Behavioral Neuroscience TestingConduct behavioral testing using Any-maze video tracking software, including: Open Field Test (locomotion/anxiety)Y-Maze (working memory)Novel Object RecognitionContextual & Cued Fear ConditioningSHIRPA neurological batteryAnalyze behavioral outcomes, perform data cleaning, and generate tracking heat maps and statistical outputs.
3. Clinical Sample ProcessingReceive, 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.
4. Molecular & Cellular AssaysPrepare 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).

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:

1. Plans and conducts experiments, analyzes data, and prepares publications describing results.
2. Assists in training and mentoring of lab personnel, including graduate students and other trainees.
3. Reads and evaluates literature.
4. Possess interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate and communicate with individuals at all levels.
5. Have strong written and oral communication skills.
6. Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:

Doctoral/Terminal Degree

Preferred Experience:

1. Laboratory Experimental Work

• Perform rodent handling, habituation, and routine monitoring under IACUC-approved protocols.

• Conduct CLP (cecal ligation and puncture) surgery, post-operative monitoring, transponder implantation, antibiotic administration, and humane endpoint evaluation.

• Perform behavioral testing using the Any-maze video-tracking system, including Open Field Test, Y-Maze Spontaneous Alternation, Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning, and SHIRPA neurological assessment.

• Collect and process biological tissues including brain, blood, CSF, spleen, liver, lung, and gut using sterile techniques.

• Prepare tissue homogenates for ELISA, Western blot, qPCR, and multiplex cytokine/chemokine profiling.

• Isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) via ultracentrifugation, differential centrifugation, or size-exclusion chromatography (IZON qEV fractions 7-9 or 9-11).

• Perform microbiota-related work: fecal sample processing, DNA extraction, 16S rRNA library preparation, and microbiome workflow setup.

2. Immunofluorescence (IF) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC)• Perform cryo- and paraffin-sectioning (10-40 µm), slide mounting, antigen retrieval, and permeabilization.

• Conduct single- and multi-channel IF staining using optimized antibody dilutions, blocking buffers, and signal-to-noise optimization.

• Perform chromogenic IHC: DAB development, counterstaining, dehydration, and slide clearing.

• Validate antibodies, optimize incubation conditions, and maintain quality control across batches.

3. Confocal and Keyence Microscope Operation• Operate laser scanning confocal systems (Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, Olympus) including Z-stacks, tile scans, and spectral unmixing.

• Acquire high-resolution images using Keyence BZ-X, adjusting exposure, gain, Z-depth, and stitching.

• Perform 3D reconstruction, colocalization analysis, and fluorescence quantification using ImageJ/Fiji, Imaris, or microscope software.

4. Data Management and Analysis

• Maintain organized records: dates, sample IDs, reagent lots, antibody details, exposure settings, and behavioral metadata.

• Analyze IF/IHC images for cell counts, integrated density, puncta quantification, and colocalization indices in brain regions.

• Process Any-maze behavioral data: heat maps, motion paths, zone entries, alternation %, freezing, and latency measures.

• Perform statistical analyses in GraphPad Prism (ANOVA, repeated measures, survival curves, mixed models).

• Prepare publication-quality figures using ImageJ/Fiji, GraphPad Prism, Adobe Illustrator, and PowerPoint.

• Ensure data integrity via standardized naming, version control, and routine backups.

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 position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Residency Requirement:

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