Associate Scientist (Dr. Blanchard Lab) - Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

The Blanchard Laboratory is seeking highly skilled, creative, and motivated scientists to join our team studying how genetic and environmental factors shape the human brain’s vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease.

Our research focuses on uncovering the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies. To accomplish this, the lab develops and applies advanced human iPSC-based brain models, including multicellular organoid and assembloid systems that recapitulate key aspects of human brain biology. These platforms are integrated with genomic, computational, and systems-level approaches to understand how genetic risk factors and environmental exposures drive disease processes.

Projects in the laboratory span multiple areas of neurodegeneration research, including:

• Genetic risk mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease (e.g., APOE biology)
• Neurovascular and glial contributions to neurodegeneration
• Lipid metabolism and metabolic stress in the aging brain
• Human brain organoid and assembloid engineering
• Multi-omics analysis of human brain tissue and disease models

Our experimental platforms combine human iPSC models, post-mortem human brain analysis, and mouse models, enabling mechanistic discoveries that directly inform translational research.

The laboratory is located in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, one of the leading neuroscience environments in the United States. Mount Sinai provides access to world-class core facilities, collaborative opportunities, and a vibrant scientific community at the intersection of neuroscience, genomics, stem cell biology, and translational medicine.

We offer an intellectually stimulating environment with strong mentorship, opportunities for career development, and the chance to work at the forefront of human brain modeling and neurodegenerative disease research.

For more information about the laboratory and our research, please visit:

http://labs.neuroscience.mssm.edu/project/blanchard-lab/ 

• Conducts research to develop methodologies, instrumentation and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings.
• Designs and conducts complex clinical research studies requiring the determination and evaluation of alternative methods, computational modeling, diagnosis and treatment.
• Plans and directs studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
• May assist in clinical laboratory operations.
• Follows strict safety procedures when handling materials to avoid contamination.
• Teaches principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and research staff.
• Confers with health departments, industry personnel, physicians, and others to develop health safety standards and public health improvement programs.
• Develops treatments and designs research tools and techniques.
• Explores subject area and defines scope and selection of problems for investigation through conceptually related studies.
• Develops hypotheses to be tested and methodology for evaluating results.
• Examines the results of clinical trials and adjusts the dosage levels to reduce negative side effects or to induce better results.
• Communicates research results to the scientific community via published papers.
• Develops new proposals for research and obtain support for new and/ or continuing research activities.
• Makes recommendations that have a major impact on extensive scientific research activities.
• Performs other related duties.

• Ph.D. in Biological Science or related field.
• Three years experience.

Preferred Skills

• iPSC cell culture and differentiation
• Molecular and cell biology
• CRISPR, bioengineering, confocal microscopy
• Calcium imaging and optogenetics
• Mouse models
• Computational biology, single cell/nuclei RNAseq.
• PhD with 5 years experience