Open Postdoctoral position, faculty mentor Juliet Knowles

Multi-omics integration to derive biomarkers for neurodegenerative disease

Stanford Neurology is a world leader in Neuroscience research and clinical care, particularly in the areas of Neurodegeneration, Brain Rejuvenation, and Neurology. This project is a collaborative effort that includes the laboratories of Juliet Knowles, MD PhD and Frank Longo, MD PhD. Our labs are established, well-resourced, diverse and include teams of students and researchers with expertise spanning developmental neurobiology, epilepsy, neurodegeneration, and therapeutic development, among other areas. Both PIs are committed to mentorship and to fostering professional success and fulfillment in trainees. 

We are seeking a highly motivated and qualified post-doctoral scholar to lead studies, using state-of-the-art single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNAseq) and proteomics approaches from animal models, human iPSC-derived neurons and human plasma, to identify novel early biomarkers therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases including pediatric onset beta-propeller protein associated neurodegeneration (BPAN), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). 

BPAN is a severe and life-threatening, pediatric onset neurodegenerative disease that manifests with epilepsy, developmental delay, Alzheimer's disease-like dementia and a Parkinson's disease-like movement disorder. There are no effective treatments to slow or reverse the course of BPAN. Our work on BPAN will provide insight into other neurodegenerative diseases that commonly affect adults, such as AD and PD. Our goal is to use molecular overlaps between BPAN, PD and AD to derive common biomarkers for these three diseases.

The candidate who is selected for the position will be responsible for (1) working with other scientists and staff in the lab to obtain samples; (2) developing computational pipelines for snRNAseq and proteomics analyses; (3) integrating novel AI-based approaches to identify disease signatures, and (4) evaluating the impacts of potential therapeutics on biomarkers in preclinical studies, among other aims. This work will be integral to a larger research program focused on clinical trial readiness for neurodegenerative diseases. We are therefore seeking an individual with excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, who will work productively in a team comprising learners at various levels, and with diverse skill sets.