Postdoc to study synapse-, neuronal ensemble-, or astrocyte-mediated behavioral changes

Behavior-Induced Plasticity at Synapses and Neuronal Ensembles

The laboratory of Dr. Yan Dong at the University of Pittsburgh is looking for a postdoctoral fellow to study neural and astrocytic plasticity under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The postdoctoral fellow will lead a project aiming to understand how external experience induces plastic changes at synapses, glia-neuron interaction, or neuronal ensembles that redefine brain circuits, and whether manipulating these changes re-shapes the behavioral output.

There are three interwoven disciplines in our research: (1) synaptic and membrane plasticity; (2) astrocyte-mediated regulation of synaptic and neuronal function; and (3) patterned activities of neuronal ensembles in behaving animals. 

There are three categories of research techniques routinely used in these studies: i) Animal work, including small animal (rats or mice) surgeries, operant behavioral tests (e.g., self-administration of sucrose or drugs of abuse), stereotaxic delivery of vectors into specific brain regions, and optogenetically manipulating brain functions in behaving animals; ii) Electrophysiology, including measuring synaptic and membrane activity in brain slices, and dissecting individual brain circuits using optogenetic approaches; and iii) In vivo imaging: including imaging dendritic spines and ensemble activities in behaving rodents. Candidates are expected to be experienced in at least one of these categories of techniques. Additional training will be provided by senior fellows in the laboratory.

To learn more about the research in Dr. Dong’s Laboratory, please visit

https://www.neuroscience.pitt.edu/people/yan-dong-phd

or google scholar (yan + dong + pittsburgh): https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zvzgf60AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Please submit your CV to yandong@pitt.edu if interested.