Postdoctoral Researcher at UCLA

Our laboratory has been a leader on current knowledge about the impact of diet and exercise on brain repair and plasticity. Our main goal is to understand pathways and genes governing healing that can be targeted to promote cures for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other neurological and metabolic disorders.

Current positions are to explore (but not limited):

• The impact of trauma on spatiotemporal genomics of single cells, and their behavioral implications (cognition, motor behavior) as shown in Nature communications https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30254269/.Use of pharmacological interventions to restore neural circuit function.
• Use of exercise pharmacology for the repair of damaged neural circuits important for learning and memory, and the use of resting state functional MRI to monitor changes.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28315455/
• Interaction between brain and system physiology on the control of TBI pathogenesis and higher order function (learning and memory, and emotions), and the modulatory action of diet. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31102601/

Our studies integrate novel concepts of brain plasticity, system physiology, cell metabolism, molecular biology, genomic, imaging, and behavior. Our broad goal is to provide solutions to complex neurological disorders such as TBI. The nutritional aspect of our studies is significant on the context of the health risk posed by contemporary lifestyles on the current epidemic of metabolic and brain disorders. Our goal is to use food as a medicine to reduce the burden of neurological disorders. 

We offer an excellent opportunity to train in translational modern neuroscience with an emphasis on cell and molecular biology, imaging, genomics, and system biology approaches. We welcome junior scientists with diverse backgrounds and highly motivated for career advancement. Our laboratory offers a unique opportunity for junior scientists who enjoy thinking out of the box and anxious for novel scientific discoveries around the principle “nature Vs nurture”. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18568016/

Our laboratory works at the interface between basic and clinical neuroscience, as part of the Brain Research Institute, UCLA Medical School, and School of Life Science.  The research environment offers unlimited opportunities for training, learning novel concepts and state-of-the-art techniques.  UCLA is a world leader in neuroscience and offers a stimulating intellectual and diverse environment, and is immerse in the highly cultural, artistic, and lively community of Los Angeles.

The position requires a candidate with a Ph.D. and experience in rodent research, molecular biology (transcriptomic and protein analyses), and behavior.  Desirable experience in lipidomics, genomics, computational and bioinformatic analysis (R platform), in vitro, in vivo imaging. Salary is commensurate upon qualifications and higher than NIH stipends.  Please send CV, description of research interest, and three contacts to

Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, Ph.D., Depts. Integrative Biology & Physiology and Neurosurgery, fgomezpi@ucla.edu