Our postdoctoral scholars program provides research support and a community of mentors and peers to extraordinary Stanford postdocs advancing our understanding of the mind and brain in health and disease.
Our postdoctoral scholars program provides research support and a community of mentors and peers to extraordinary Stanford postdocs advancing our understanding of the mind and brain in health and disease. Our postdoctoral scholars program provides research support and a community of mentors and peers to extraordinary Stanford postdocs advancing our understanding of the mind and brain in health and disease.
Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholar Award
Since 2015, the Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars program has supported innovative young researchers who engage in highly interdisciplinary research in the neurosciences, broadly defined. Our postdoctoral scholars have backgrounds in basic and clinical neurosciences, biomedical sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, education, law, business and humanities, and are all engaged in cutting edge research that will advance our understanding of the mind, brain and behavior in health and disease.
Brain Resilience Postdoctoral Scholar Award of the Knight Initiative
The Brain Resilience Postdoctoral Scholars award of the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience generate paradigm shifting insights on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration and/or how to maintain brain resilience into old age.
Application Components
Our next postdoc applications will open in Winter Quarter 2024.
This program is open to current Stanford postdocs.
Our Model
This program awards two years of fellowship funding and is pleased to provide parental leave. Postdoctoral scholars also receive $5,000 of discretionary research funds annually.
Mentorship
The program provides scientific and career-growth opportunities and guidance under the leadership of program co-directors and faculty mentors Professors Miriam Goodman and Liqun Luo. Scholars meet monthly with their cohort and program faculty mentors to share ideas and discuss approaches to scientific and career challenges, visit each other’s labs to learn about different research techniques and areas of study, and practice communicating their research to scientific and general audiences.
In addition, Brain Resilience Postdoctoral Scholars attend events and seminars hosted by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, and are stewarded by Knight Initiative Associate Director Natasha Hussain and faculty mentor Elizabeth Mormino to learn from one another and build community around the topic of neurodegeneration and brain resilience.
Diversity
The Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Postdoctoral program brings together cohorts of postdocs representing the broad range of demographic, experiential and scientific diversity. Women and postdocs from groups underrepresented in the neurosciences are strongly encouraged to apply.
| Key Dates for 2024 POSTDOCTORAL Scholar Awards | |
|---|---|
| Application Opens | Friday, August 11, 2023 |
| Application Deadline | Sunday, September 24, 2023, at 5:00pm PST Including faculty sponsor statement(s) and recommendation letters |
| Notification of Awards | Late November, 2023 |
| Award Start Date | Funding may begin between February 1, 2024 and June 1, 2024 |
Funding Period | Two years of funding from start date |
| To Apply | Apply here |
Funded Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholar projects
In vivo analysis of cAMP dynamics in developing glial cells
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an important intracellular messenger that plays a critical role in the development of the central and peripheral nervous system. However, the mechanisms of action of cAMP in the nervous system development are poorly understood and there are currently no suitable methods to visualize cAMP in the cells of living animals.
Examining the role of glia signaling in neuronal excitability
Understanding how glia regulate the expression and/or post-translational modification of sodium ion channels may lead to the identification of new pharmaceutical targets for the treatment of pain.
Accelerating maturation of 3D human brain organoid models to study human aging mechanisms.
Dr. Iram will use brain intrinsic and systemic regulators of aging, in an attempt to accelerate maturation of human-derived brain organoids. This has the potential to produce the first ever aged human brain 3D cultures and identify factors which accelerate brain aging.
Optogenetic screening of the gut-brain axis via an internal light source
The gut-brain axis is implicated in many essential physiological and psychological functions, ranging from feeding, emotion, motivation, to memory. As a critical component of the gut-brain axis, vagal sensory neurons exhibit distinct projection patterns to target specific visceral organs.