Associate Scientist (Dr. Blanchard Lab) - Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

The Blanchard Laboratory is seeking highly skilled, creative, and motivated scientists to join our team studying how genetic and environmental factors shape the human brain’s vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease.

Our research focuses on uncovering the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies. To accomplish this, the lab develops and applies advanced human iPSC-based brain models, including multicellular organoid and assembloid systems that recapitulate key aspects of human brain biology. These platforms are integrated with genomic, computational, and systems-level approaches to understand how genetic risk factors and environmental exposures drive disease processes.

Projects in the laboratory span multiple areas of neurodegeneration research, including:

• Genetic risk mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease (e.g., APOE biology)
• Neurovascular and glial contributions to neurodegeneration
• Lipid metabolism and metabolic stress in the aging brain
• Human brain organoid and assembloid engineering
• Multi-omics analysis of human brain tissue and disease models

Our experimental platforms combine human iPSC models, post-mortem human brain analysis, and mouse models, enabling mechanistic discoveries that directly inform translational research.

The laboratory is located in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, one of the leading neuroscience environments in the United States. Mount Sinai provides access to world-class core facilities, collaborative opportunities, and a vibrant scientific community at the intersection of neuroscience, genomics, stem cell biology, and translational medicine.

We offer an intellectually stimulating environment with strong mentorship, opportunities for career development, and the chance to work at the forefront of human brain modeling and neurodegenerative disease research.

For more information about the laboratory and our research, please visit:

http://labs.neuroscience.mssm.edu/project/blanchard-lab/

• Conducts research to develop methodologies, instrumentation and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings.
• Designs and conducts complex clinical research studies requiring the determination and evaluation of alternative methods, computational modeling, diagnosis and treatment.
• Plans and directs studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
• May assist in clinical laboratory operations.
• Follows strict safety procedures when handling materials to avoid contamination.
• Teaches principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and research staff.
• Confers with health departments, industry personnel, physicians, and others to develop health safety standards and public health improvement programs.
• Develops treatments and designs research tools and techniques.
• Explores subject area and defines scope and selection of problems for investigation through conceptually related studies.
• Develops hypotheses to be tested and methodology for evaluating results.
• Examines the results of clinical trials and adjusts the dosage levels to reduce negative side effects or to induce better results.
• Communicates research results to the scientific community via published papers.
• Develops new proposals for research and obtain support for new and/ or continuing research activities.
• Makes recommendations that have a major impact on extensive scientific research activities.
• Performs other related duties.
• Ph.D. in Biological Science or related field.
• Three years experience.

Preferred Skills

• iPSC cell culture and differentiation
• Molecular and cell biology
• CRISPR, bioengineering, confocal microscopy
• Calcium imaging and optogenetics
• Mouse models
• Computational biology, single cell/nuclei RNAseq.
• PhD with 5 years experience

Strength through Unity and Inclusion

The Mount Sinai Health System is committed to fostering an environment where everyone can contribute to excellence. We share a common dedication to delivering outstanding patient care. When you join us, you become part of Mount Sinai’s unparalleled legacy of achievement, education, and innovation as we work together to transform healthcare. We encourage all team members to actively participate in creating a culture that ensures fair access to opportunities, promotes inclusive practices, and supports the success of every individual.

At Mount Sinai, our leaders are committed to fostering a workplace where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to grow. We strive to create an environment where collaboration, fairness, and continuous learning drive positive change, improving the well-being of our staff, patients, and organization. Our leaders are expected to challenge outdated practices, promote a culture of respect, and work toward meaningful improvements that enhance patient care and workplace experiences. We are dedicated to building a supportive and welcoming environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and advance professionally. Explore this opportunity and be part of the next chapter in our history.

About the Mount Sinai Health System:

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time - discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes more than 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics, top 5 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and top 20 in Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is ranked No. 11 nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding and in the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally.

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The Mount Sinai Health System is an equal opportunity employer, complying with all applicable federal civil rights laws. We do not discriminate, exclude, or treat individuals differently based on race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are deeply committed to fostering an environment where all faculty, staff, students, trainees, patients, visitors, and the communities we serve feel respected and supported. Our goal is to create a healthcare and learning institution that actively works to remove barriers, address challenges, and promote fairness in all aspects of our organization.