RESEARCH FELLOW

The Spatial Biodynamics Lab (spatialbiodynamics.org) led by Dr. Changyang Linghu at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an exciting journey to unravel the principles of how cellular activities drive fundamental brain functions, such as computation, learning, and memory, via the development and application of novel technologies to read out and control cellular activities in the living brain. The Spatial Biodynamics Lab is at the intersection of the Medical School, Michigan Neuroscience Institute, Biosciences Initiative, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan and provides a unique and world's top interdisciplinary research and training environment. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be primarily appointed in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology in the Medical School, which is one of the world's most distinguished and largest biomedical research institutions and health systems and offers excellent professional development programs for transitions to career independence.

The successful applicant will develop and/or apply groundbreaking technologies to observe and decode transient signaling, long-term changes, or multimodal dynamics in cell populations in the living brain. The successful applicant will also work in a multidisciplinary and collaborative setting with scientists and engineers at the University of Michigan. Prior experience in mouse in vivo experiments is preferred.

PI bio: Dr. Changyang Linghu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan Medical School and faculty member of the Michigan Neuroscience Institute, Single Cell Spatial Analysis Program in the Biosciences Initiative, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working with Dr. Ed Boyden. His recent works are published in Nature, Cell, Nature Biotechnology, Neuron, and Nature Communications. He is the recipient of Klingenstein Fellowship Award in Neuroscience (2025), Research Scout Scholar from UMich (2025), NIH Director's New Innovator Award (2024), MIT Technology Review's Global 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35) (2024), Glenn and AFAR Junior Faculty Grant (2024), Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Award (2024), Whitehall Foundation Three-Year Research Grant (2024), GenScript Life Science Research Grant (2024), Bioengineering in Brain Cancer Challenge Seed Fund Award from UMich (2024), Spatial Analytics of Cancer Challenge Seed Fund Award from UMich (2023), Biological Sciences Scholar (BSSP) from UMich (2022), MIT Spot Award (for community service) (2022), MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 China (TR35 China) (2021), Rising Star in Biological Engineering by Princeton University (2021), J. Douglas Tan Postdoctoral Fellow (2020), McGovern Graduate Fellow (2018), and MIT Presidential Fellow (supported by Irwin Mark Jacobs and Joan Klein Jacobs) (2013).

The successful applicant should have a strong interest in neuroscience and/or biotechnology. Project(s) and research questions will be tailored depending on the candidate's expertise and interests.

Experimental responsibilities include: designing and conducting research to observe and decode molecular/cellular activities in living mouse brains.

Non-experimental responsibilities include: writing drafts of manuscripts, presenting at national and international conferences, and networking with collaborators both in and outside U-M.

The successful applicant will have a Ph.D. degree.

Prior experience in mouse in vivo experiments is preferred.

To apply for this position, please submit the following materials as part of your application package:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV), including a publication list and contact information for three (3) references;
• Cover Letter, describing your current and future research interests, as well as your expected start date for the position.

In addition to submitting your application through the job posting, please also email your complete application package to Dr. Changyang Linghu at linghu@umich.edu