Postdoctoral Associates, PhD Candidates, and Research Technician Positions in Nanomaterials and Brain Barriers at University of Texas at Dallas

The Nano-Bioengineering Laboratory at University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) is looking for highly motivated postdoctoral associates to join our dynamic team. Our interdisciplinary research focus is on developing nanotechnology-based approaches to better understand and overcome brain barriers and revolutionizing point-of-care infectious disease diagnosis. Recent efforts have led to new enabling tools for transient opening of blood-brain barrier, optically probing the brain extracellular space, and innovative diagnostic methods. Our work is externally funded by federal and state agencies (NSF, NIH, CDMRP and CPRIT) and non-profit organizations (American Heart Association). Our lab closely works with active researchers both at UT Dallas and other institutes including from UT Southwestern Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, SUNY Downstate, Yale University, UC Berkeley and Stanford. More information could be found on our website: https://www.nanobrainlab.net/

We have several positions in the interdisciplinary area of nanomaterials, brain barriers, and imaging. These three research opportunities include:  

1. We are seeking for a postdoctoral associate and PhD students with strong background and interest in blood-brain barrier and related applications, to join a multidisciplinary and a highly collaborative team working on developing novel techniques to modulate the blood-brain barrier permeability for drug delivery into the central nervous system. Experience in one or more of the followings are required for the position: blood-brain barrier modulation, focused ultrasound technique, viral and non-viral delivery, lipid nanoparticle formulation, cancer immunotherapy, neuroscience and animal disease models. The project is supported by (AHA, CDMRP and CPRIT). Learn more about our related work at this recent publication (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02996).

2. We are seeking for a postdoctoral associate and PhD students with strong background in photonics, optical microcopy or a related field. Recently, we have developed an optical approach to investigate the molecular transport and signaling through the brain extracellular space in vivo using two-photon microscopy. The upcoming project is to build a two-photon light sheet microscopy to map the transport and signaling across different brain regions or over the whole brain. The candidate will collaborate with Dr. Yichen Ding in UT Dallas, who is an expert in optical imaging and light-sheet microscopy. The requisite skills for an applicant include, but are not limited to, (1) experience in optical system design and laser technologies; (2) image acquisition and processing. Candidates with experience in multi-photon microscopy or light-sheet microscopy are advantageous. The project is supported by the BRAIN initiative RF1 grant (NS110499) and NSF grant (2123971).

3. We are inviting applicants for a research technician (BS, MS level) with experimental skills and techniques in biochemistry and translation research, to join a multidisciplinary and a highly collaborative team working on developing novel nanotechnologies to modulate the blood-brain barriers and blood-spinal cord barrier permeability for drug/gene delivery. Translational work experience with small animal models in one or more of the following fields are required for the position: neurodegenerative disease, brain tumor, chronic pain, spinal cord tumor, or spinal cord injury. The project is supported by DOD and CPRIT.

The successful postdoctoral applicants will have a PhD in materials science, engineering, biology or neuroscience, and research technician will be at BS/MS level. Ideal candidates should be able to work in a collaborative environment, lead projects, learn new skills, communicate effectively, and accommodate some local or domestic travel for collaborative studies if necessary. Interested candidates should send a cover letter indicating your interest, CV, top 3 publications and references to in PDF format to Dr. Qin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Dr. Gao (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Successful applicants will be offered with competitive salary and benefits. These positions are open immediately and we are interviewing candidates on a rolling basis.