Research Fellow (Remote)

Site: The McLean Hospital Corporation

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

McLean Hospital is a comprehensive psychiatric hospital committed to providing easy access to superior quality, cost-effective mental health services in the Boston area, Massachusetts and beyond. Since 1811, McLean Hospital has been a world leader in the treatment of mental illness and chemical dependency, research into the cause of mental illness and the training of generations of mental health care providers. McLean’s multidisciplinary programs treat a broad range of psychiatric illnesses across the full continuum of care.

All McLean team members are expected to consistently demonstrate our values of integrity, compassion, respect, diversity, teamwork, excellence and innovation in their work activities and interactions.

A post-doctoral fellow typically holds dual affiliations at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

There are many opportunities for education and growth in our multidisciplinary, collaborative research environment at McLean Hospital that brings together a diverse group of neurobiologists, clinicians, psychologists and statisticians. Designs and implements modifications of research protocols

Performs advanced data recording and analysis using various software programs and statistical techniques

Maintaining organized and detailed records of laboratory experiments in electronic laboratory notebooks

Presentation of results at lab meetings and national conferences

Preparation and submission of research manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals

Assisting with preparation of grant applications

Possess strong technical abilities and computer science skills

Possess the ability to make independent and effective decisions in a timely fashionPossess competence in research techniques and methodologies

Be a team player who works well with other lab members

Postdoctoral Fellow in Translational Neuroscience and McLean Hospital Microscopy Core Manager

The Translational Neuroscience Laboratory at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School seeks a highly motivated scientist for a combined position as a postdoctoral fellow and Manager of the McLean Hospital Microscopy Core. This position offers a distinctive opportunity to pursue research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders while providing scientific and operational leadership for a shared advanced-microscopy facility.

Postdoctoral Research Program
The postdoctoral fellow will contribute to a multidisciplinary research program examining how stress and immune signaling affect interactions among neurons, glia, and the neurovascular unit (NVU). The NVU—including brain endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, microglia, neurons, and the vascular basal lamina—is positioned at the interface between systemic and neural processes and may play a critical role in translating immune, metabolic, and other stress-related challenges into altered neural function and psychiatric symptoms.

The research investigates the hypothesis that stress-related symptom dimensions—including anxiety, irritability, depression, and anhedonia—are associated with dysregulation of NVU homeostatic reserve: the capacity of NVU cells to respond adaptively to stress and immune challenges. Studies will examine coordinated gene-expression programs across neuronal, glial, and vascular cell populations and determine how their disruption relates to clinically relevant symptom dimensions across psychiatric diagnoses.

Molecular, cellular, and morphological findings will be integrated with transdiagnostic clinical phenotypes derived from extensive health records using natural-language-processing approaches.

Research activities may include

Quantitative image analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction.

Morphological and cytoarchitectonic analyses of neurons, glia, microvasculature, and other NVU components.

Integration of molecular, cellular, morphological, and functional measures with transdiagnostic dimensions of stress-related symptoms.

In parallel with the postdoctoral research program, the successful candidate will manage the scientific, technical, operational, and financial activities of the McLean Hospital Microscopy Core. The Core Manager will serve as a front-line scientific resource for McLean investigators and external users, providing expert guidance on microscopy-based study design, sample preparation, data acquisition, image processing, and quantitative analysis.

The Core Manager will oversee the overall functioning of the facility, coordinate instrument access and maintenance, train and support users, supervise contracted technical services, and serve as a liaison among investigators, hospital administrative units, vendors, and external service providers. The role also includes consultation on microscopy-related methods, project feasibility, budgeting, and appropriate use of Core resources.

Maintain the Reichert-Jung ultramicrotome and ancillary TEM equipment.

Oversee the operation and maintenance of the JEOL JEM1200EX transmission electron microscope and associated cooling systems.

Coordinate and supervise on-site contracted TEM maintenance and repair services.

Laser-Scanning Confocal Microscopy Responsibilities

Train users in independent operation of the Leica SP8-TCS laser-scanning confocal microscope.

Train and support users in image acquisition, processing, visualization, and quantitative analysis.

Perform confocal microscopy for McLean and external investigators when specialized assistance is required.

Maintain the confocal microscope and associated hardware and software in optimal operating condition.

Diagnose technical problems and coordinate preventive maintenance, repairs, and software or hardware upgrades.

Supervise on-site contracted services related to the confocal system.

Two-Photon Laser-Scanning Microscopy Responsibilities

Train users to operate the Olympus FV-MPE-RS two-photon microscope and Spectra-Physics InSight DeepSee Duo laser system.

Provide guidance on experimental design, image acquisition, image processing, and quantitative analysis for two-photon applications.

Support investigators in optimizing imaging parameters for fixed tissue, living preparations, and other appropriate applications.

Maintain the microscope, laser system, environmental components, and associated software in optimal working condition.

Core Operations and Research Administration Responsibilities

Develop and maintain a structured, equitable user registration and instrument-scheduling system.

Establish and maintain instrument-specific training, authorization, and competency records.

Develop, update, and enforce standard operating procedures for instrument use, sample preparation, data management, and laboratory safety.

Monitor instrument usage, performance, service history, and user needs.

Ensure compliance with laboratory safety, security, biosafety, chemical handling, and hazardous-waste-disposal requirements.

Maintain adequate inventories of laboratory consumables, reagents, replacement parts, and essential supplies.

Coordinate relationships with vendors, service engineers, contractors, and institutional administrative units.

Maintain accurate records of Core projects, users, instrument time, services, and technical support.

Contribute to strategic planning for equipment replacement, upgrades, and acquisition of new imaging technologies.

Promote effective and rigorous use of microscopy resources across the McLean research community.

Maintain detailed and accurate financial records.

Provide usage and financial reports to departmental and institutional leadership as requested.

Contribute technical information and budget estimates for grants involving Core instrumentation or services.

Candidates should hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree in neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology, biomedical imaging, neuropathology, or a related discipline. The position requires substantial hands‑on experience with advanced microscopy and the scientific judgment needed to guide investigators in experimental design, image acquisition, analysis, and interpretation.

Experience with biological sample preparation, ultramicrotomy, immuno-electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, or quantitative image analysis.

Knowledge of microscopy instrumentation, troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and quality control.

Experience training and supporting users with different levels of microscopy expertise.

Experience with human postmortem tissue, neuroanatomy, neuropathology, cell culture, neuroimmunology, blood-brain barrier biology, or transcriptomics.

Strong organizational, administrative, and record-keeping skills.

Experience with budgeting, billing, shared-resource management, or research administration.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with investigators, trainees, administrators, vendors, and external users.

A strong commitment to experimental rigor, reproducibility, collaborative science, and responsible stewardship of shared research resources.

Strong candidates will demonstrate scientific curiosity, careful attention to experimental rigor, excellent organizational and communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. training will be tailored to the fellow’s background and research goals.

Prior lab experience required. Must have evidence of strong scientific productivity, including peer-reviewed publications. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Assistance in guiding research technicians and trainees in the lab is expected.

Work will be performed in a fast-paced research laboratory environment, requiring teamwork, collaboration, and flexibility. Remote Type
Work Shift
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at View phone number on click.appcast.io.

At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People‑Focused, half Performance‑Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.

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