Postdoctoral Researcher in Neuroimaging and Integrative Brain Analyses

Postdoctoral Researcher in Neuroimaging and Integrative Brain
Analyses

Location: University of Pennsylvania - Perelman School of
Medicine

Open Date: Nov 04, 2026

Deadline:

The Platt Laboratory in the Department of Neuroscience at the
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine seeks a
Postdoctoral Researcher to lead neuroimaging and integrative
molecular analyses of brain aging in a naturalistic nonhuman
primate model. The position is supported by a newly awarded
National Institute on Aging U19 grant (U19AG092410) investigating
the causes, consequences, and modifiers of aging heterogeneity in
the Cayo Santiago rhesus macaque population, one of the world's
most extensively characterized free-ranging primate
populations.

The successful candidate will develop and apply neuroimaging
pipelines to characterize region-specific patterns of brain aging
using ex vivo structural MRI data acquired from archived macaque
brain hemispheres on Penn's 7T scanner across the full adult
lifespan. In parallel, the candidate will lead integrative analyses
of brain-derived molecular datasets, including bulk RNA sequencing,
DNA methylation, and potentially single-cell or spatial
transcriptomics, to connect structural and molecular aging
signatures across the same individuals.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will integrate neuroimaging and
molecular brain measures with physiological, behavioral, social,
and cognitive aging domains to build multimodal ageotype models.
The candidate will also collaborate closely with imaging teams on
pipeline harmonization and cross-site analyses. This position
offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of primate
neuroimaging and molecular aging biology using a uniquely
well-powered and phenotypically rich cohort.

Duties and Responsibilities

Neuroimaging Data Acquisition and Processing

• Coordinate with Penn imaging core staff to establish and optimize

ex vivo structural MRI acquisition protocols for fixed macaque
brain hemispheres on the 7T scanner, including sequence selection,
coil configuration, and specimen positioning.

• Develop and maintain automated and manual quality-control

procedures for raw MRI data, including measures of signal-to-noise
ratio, geometric distortion, and scan completeness.

• Develop and apply pipelines for volumetric segmentation and

morphometric characterization of cortical and subcortical regions,
adapting FreeSurfer, ANTs, FSL, or equivalent tools for ex vivo
fixed-tissue macaque data.

• Register ex vivo brain images to macaque brain atlases, such as

D99 or INIA19, generate region-of-interest parcellations, and
validate registration accuracy using histological landmarks when
available.

• Quantify anatomical markers of brain aging, including regional

gray matter volume, cortical myelination, white matter tract
integrity from diffusion-weighted imaging, and morphological
features associated with cellular aging and
neurodegeneration.

Integrative Molecular Analyses of Brain Tissue

• Lead quality control, normalization, and analysis of bulk RNA-seq

data from brain regions, including FASTQ-to-count workflows and
correction for batch effects, tissue-specific confounders, and
cross-tissue variation.

• Analyze brain-tissue DNA methylation data, including development

and validation of epigenetic clock models, identification of
differentially methylated regions, and comparison of epigenetic
aging rates across regions.

• Evaluate and apply single-nucleus or spatial transcriptomics data

when available, integrating cell-type-specific aging signatures
with regional imaging phenotypes.

• Develop statistical models of age-associated molecular signatures

and connect them to neuroimaging measures from the same
individuals.

• Collaborate with consortium institutions to integrate

brain-derived molecular data with multi-omics datasets.

Multidomain Integration and Ageotype Modeling

• Integrate neuroimaging and molecular measures with physiological,

physical-aging, social-network, behavioral, and cognitive data
collected from the same CayoBank individuals.

• Contribute to multidomain ageotype models using latent-variable,

clustering, and dimensionality-reduction approaches.

• Build and test predictive models linking brain-aging metrics to

health and survival outcomes using long-term demographic data from
the Cayo Santiago population.

Collaboration, Reproducibility, and Communication

• Align acquisition protocols, atlas choices, parcellation schemes,

and quality-control standards with neuroimaging collaborators
across sites.

• Coordinate with the CayoHub data-management team to deposit

processed imaging and molecular data in formats that meet
consortium standards.

• Participate in multi-institutional data working groups and help

establish shared analysis standards.

• Develop and maintain documented, reproducible analysis pipelines,

preferably using Snakemake or Nextflow, and contribute code to the
project GitHub repository.

• Lead manuscripts and presentations on neuroimaging and brain

molecular aging findings; contribute to cross-domain ageotype and
mortality analyses.

• Contribute to NIH progress reports and grant renewals and assist

in mentoring research technicians in neuroanatomical imaging and
molecular data processing.

Qualifications

• PhD in neuroscience, neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience,

genomics, computational biology, or a closely related field.

• Strong experience in structural MRI analysis, including

volumetric segmentation and morphometry using FreeSurfer, ANTs,
FSL, or equivalent tools.

• Experience analyzing next-generation sequencing data, including

RNA-seq or DNA methylation data.

• Proficiency in scripting and statistical analysis using Python,

R, Bash, or similar tools.

• Experience developing or adapting analysis pipelines for complex

or nonstandard datasets.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage large,

heterogeneous datasets in a collaborative, multisite project.

• A record of peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ex vivo, postmortem, or high-field MRI at 7T or

above.

• Experience with nonhuman primate neuroimaging or

neuroanatomy.

• Familiarity with macaque brain atlases, including D99, INIA19, or

equivalent resources.

• Experience with single-nucleus or spatial transcriptomics.
• Experience integrating imaging data with molecular, behavioral,

or physiological datasets from the same individuals.

• Familiarity with epigenetic clocks or hallmarks-of-aging

frameworks.

• Familiarity with Snakemake, Nextflow, Git, and GitHub.
• Experience participating in a large, multi-institutional research

consortium.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit the following materials through
Interfolio:

• Cover letter describing relevant research experience, current and

future research interests, and desired start date.

• Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications.
• Contact information for three professional references.

Review of applications will continue until the position is
filled.

To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/196949

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer.
Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race,
color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin
(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship
status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected
under applicable federal, state, or local law.

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