Applications are invited for a postdoctoral researcher to study the dynamics of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain at the University of Rochester. The work will focus on the fluid dynamics and physical mechanisms of the recently-discovered glymphatic system, which sweeps away metabolic waste by pumping cerebrospinal fluid through the brain during sleep. The glymphatic system likely plays a key role both in improving cognitive ability after sleep and in preventing diseases such as Alzheimer's that result from waste buildup. The successful candidate will address a wide array of open questions: Along what paths does fluid flow in the brain? What mechanisms drive its motion? How does flow connect to neural activity like slow waves and to cognitive ability after sleep? How does flow change during pathological conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury? How does flow change as waste builds up, and do these changes accelerate buildup? The successful candidate will join a team in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, led by Douglas H. Kelley, John H. Thomas, and Jessica K. Shang, which has published recent results in Science, Nature Communications, JCI Insight, Journal of the Royal Society: Interface, and elsewhere. We expect to continue publishing high-impact discoveries.
The successful candidate will use particle tracking, front tracking, and other sophisticated tools to measure cerebrospinal fluid flow from in vivo mouse experiments. Experience in programming, analysis of large data sets, and fluid dynamics is essential. Experience with particle tracking, image analysis, or in vivo/vitro biofluids experiments is a plus. Excellent writing skills are preferred. We collaborate closely with Maiken Nedergaard at the University of Rochester Medical Center, whose team discovered the glymphatic system and performs the in vivo experiments (the successful candidate may also have the opportunity to engage in experiments). The successful candidate will be encouraged to collaborate with others in Mechanical Engineering who study the glymphatic system via numerical simulations, theoretical arguments, and experiments; currently two other postdoctoral researchers, two PhD students, and a few undergraduate researchers are involved, in addition to the faculty mentors. More information is available at www.me.rochester.edu/projects/dhkelley-lab. We anticipate a 1 July 2020 start date, but some flexibility is possible. For full consideration, applicants should email a curriculum vitae and cover letter to Prof. Douglas H. Kelley, d.h.kelley@rochester.edu by 1 April 2020.