Research Post Doctoral Fellow - Qian Lab

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A Brief Overview
Under the direction/guidance of a mentor (principal investigator), assumes responsibility for a specific, on-going research project. The experience will serve to extend, refine and enhance skills necessary for professional and career development, and will enable the individual to broaden his/her scientific background by acquiring new research capabilities. It is expected that this individual will conduct independent scholarly research, and will contribute directly to the overall research goals of the project and the research group.

This role will be expected to participate in project planning, recording and interpretation/evaluation of data, and communication of results. This position will also be expected to acquire technical, lab management, and manuscript/grant writing skills; and participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentations at national meetings. This role also may be required to supervise junior lab members, develop new methods and protocols for research, and assist with the development of other research projects in the lab.

Research Postdoctoral Fellow - Qian Lab

The Qian Lab, located in the BRIDGE Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, is dedicated to understanding how the human cerebral cortex develops, and how this process can go awry in neurodevelopmental disorders. Our research aims to decode the cellular, molecular, and functional logic of cortical development, with the ultimate goal of identifying new therapeutic entry points for conditions such as congenital brain malformations, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder.

The lab is led by Dr. Xuyu Qian, a tenure-track Assistant Professor whose work integrates human brain organoids, spatial transcriptomics, and human genetics to investigate features of human brain development that are often inaccessible through traditional model systems. Dr. Qian pioneered the development and application of brain organoid models to investigate human neurological diseases in patient-derived and genetically engineered systems. In parallel, he has analyzed developing human brain tissues using single-cell spatial omics, generating an extensive atlas that revealed how distinct cortical layers and areas emerge during development.

Future projects in the lab will build on established human cortical organoid, spatial omics, imaging, and disease-modeling platforms to investigate how human cortical cells acquire molecular identity, organize into functional circuits, and respond to genetic or environmental perturbations. A growing area of interest is the integration of cortical organoids with functional readouts, including multielectrode-array-based recording and stimulation, to study activity-dependent maturation, network dynamics, and adaptive plasticity in human neural systems. Candidates with interests in stem cell models, developmental neuroscience, electrophysiology, neural activity analysis, spatial transcriptomics, imaging, or computational biology are encouraged to apply.

For a list of past work see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iRSTuAoAAAAJ&hl=en

Lab website: https://qianlabnerv.org/

The Qian Lab is seeking a highly motivated and creative Postdoctoral Fellow to lead and contribute to cutting-edge research projects focused on human brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders. Under the guidance of Dr. Xuyu Qian, fellows will drive hypothesis-driven research that builds upon established pipelines, while also having the opportunity to innovate and explore new directions.

The specific project will be shaped by the candidate's expertise, interests, and training goals. Opportunities may span human cortical organoid models, neurodevelopmental disease mechanisms, spatial and single-cell omics, imaging-based assays, and functional studies of organoid network activity. Experience with organoid models, electrophysiology, MEA or high-density MEA platforms, calcium imaging, closed-loop stimulation, neural time-series analysis, or related approaches would be valuable, but candidates are not expected to have all of these skills.

Projects are supported by Dr. Qian's start-up funding from CHOP as well as active NIH and foundation grants. The postdoc will work independently on at least one core project while contributing to the broader mission of the lab. In addition to advancing their own research, fellows will have the opportunity to mentor junior lab members, contribute to collaborative initiatives, and help shape the scientific environment of a growing research group.

The position offers robust professional development, including training in advanced experimental and computational techniques, scientific writing, and grant preparation. Fellows will be encouraged to present their work at national and international conferences and will have access to the rich training environment offered by CHOP and Penn, including specialized workshops, seminars, and career development resources.

This position is ideal for candidates seeking to deepen their expertise in developmental neuroscience, human genetics, stem cell biology, single-cell and spatial omics, and functional analysis of human neural systems, while preparing for independent research careers in academia or industry.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will take an active role in both independent and collaborative research, contributing to the scientific mission of the Qian Lab while advancing their own professional development. Responsibilities include:

• Designing and executing research projects with guidance from the PI, including project planning, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation.
• Performing wet lab experiments, such as stem cell and organoid culture, neural differentiation, molecular assays, imaging, and perturbation experiments, and/or computational analyses, such as transcriptomics, spatial data analysis, electrophysiology analysis, and neural activity modeling, depending on expertise and project needs.
• Developing and optimizing novel experimental and/or analytical methods for human brain organoid systems, molecular and spatial readouts, imaging, or functional analysis of neural activity.
• Potentially contributing to functional assays for human cortical organoids, including MEA or high-density MEA recordings, stimulation paradigms, closed-loop experimental designs, calcium imaging, or complementary approaches to measure neural activity.
• Analyzing and integrating datasets from electrophysiology, imaging, single-cell or spatial transcriptomics, genetics, and perturbation experiments.
• Preparing manuscripts for publication and contributing to grant proposals.
• Participating in lab meetings, institutional seminars, journal clubs, and national conferences.
• Mentoring and training junior lab members, including research assistants, students, or interns.
• Collaborating on additional projects across the lab as needed.

• Required: Doctorate

We welcome candidates with experimental, computational, or integrative backgrounds. Applicants are not expected to have all of the skills listed below; training in complementary areas will be provided. Preferred experience includes one or more of the following:

• Background in neuroscience, stem cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology, computational biology, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, electrophysiology, or related fields.
• Experience with human pluripotent stem cell culture, neural differentiation, brain organoids, tissue engineering, or related human cellular models.
• Experience with molecular biology, imaging, transcriptomics, spatial omics, perturbation experiments, disease modeling, or quantitative analysis of cellular phenotypes.
• Experience with MEA, high-density MEA, patch-clamp electrophysiology, calcium imaging, optogenetics, stimulation paradigms, closed-loop systems, or other approaches for measuring or manipulating neural activity would be valuable but is not required.
• Computational skills in Python, MATLAB, R, or related platforms, particularly for time-series analysis, signal processing, machine learning, bioinformatics, single-cell/spatial omics, or multimodal data integration, would be valuable.
• Interest in cortical development, neural circuit maturation, activity-dependent plasticity, neurodevelopmental disorders, epilepsy, environmental neurotoxicity, or human disease modeling.
• Strong motivation, scientific curiosity, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Soon-to-be Ph.D. graduates who are nearing completion of their doctoral training are encouraged to apply.

What you will do

• Conduct independent scholarly research and develop new methods and protocols
• Participate in project planning, recording and evaluation of data
• Acquire technical, lab management and grant writing skills
• Participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentation at national meetings
• Supervise junior lab members
• Assist with other research projects

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to wear a respirator device

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SALARY RANGE:

Salary ranges are shown for full-time jobs. If you're working part-time, your pay will be adjusted accordingly.

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