Postdoctoral Openings

Position Description

Dr. Kristine Yaffe and the UCSF Center for Population Brain Health are seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Epidemiology of AD/ADRD and Brain Health. The Center for Population Brain Health (CPBH) is a collaboration of multidisciplinary investigators at the University of California, San Francisco. Our mission is to improve brain health over the life course to facilitate healthy aging. We conduct population-based research focused on the epidemiology of cognitive aging and brain health. 

The postdoctoral fellow will apply innovative epidemiological methods to support ongoing research studies on Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer disease related dementias (AD/ADRD), cognitive aging, and brain health. The candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty and investigators at UCSF in epidemiology, neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, and biostatistics. Under the mentorship of Dr. Kristine Yaffe, the scholar will be responsible for driving original research projects while receiving training to become an independent investigator. Potential projects will be focused on modifiable risk factors including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, traumatic brain injury, sleep, depression, and physical and cognitive activity; multi-domain interventions for dementia prevention; social determinants of brain health; biomarkers of cognitive aging; and risk and resilience factors for brain health across the life course. Ideal applicants would have particular interest in expanding expertise in population-based methods, longitudinal data analysis, and life course models with the opportunity to explore innovative epidemiologic and data science approaches. The training program will include career development seminars, works in progress meetings, manuscript and grant writing opportunities, presentations at scientific conferences, and establishing multidisciplinary collaborations with the goal of transitioning to independence.

Position Description

The University of California, San Francisco is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join the EpochAI Lab in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, sepsis care, and health data science under the leadership of Dr. Romain Pirracchio. This position is part of an NIH-funded multi-site R01 multisite project (including UC Berkeley, UPMC and UPenn) aiming to develop and validate a real-time, AI-driven clinical decision support system (CDSS) to guide early treatment decisions in patients with suspected community-onset lung sepsis (COLS).

The successful candidate will help design and implement advanced machine learning and causal inference models, including conditional average treatment effect (CATE) estimation and simulation-based evaluation of clinical impact. The fellow will also contribute to prospective validation efforts, integration of AI tools into the UCSF EHR (via HIPAC), and cross-disciplinary collaboration with clinicians, statisticians, engineers, and implementation scientists.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement AI/ML algorithms to estimate individualized treatment effects using large-scale EHR data
• Collaborate with UCSF HIPAC and clinical teams to deploy and test models in real-time “silent mode”
• Assist with development of an interpretable and EHR-embedded CDSS for early treatment in lung sepsis
• Lead analyses for external validation at collaborating institutions (UPMC, UPenn)
• Co-author publications, conference abstracts, and data science workflows
• Participate in stakeholder engagement and iterative UI design processes

Position Description

The Ma lab is recruiting two postdocs interested in studying molecular mechanisms of autoimmunity and anti-tumor immunity. We are using small molecules and CRISPR base editor screens to dissect potent regulators of ubiquitin dependent signals at the level of individual residues. We hope to translate these mechanisms into therapeutic strategies.

The lab is located on the 10th floor of the Medical Sciences Building of the Parnassus campus, a multidepartmental floor of immunologists. Ongoing collaborations with immunologists and bioengineers are occurring across the Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses. Postdocs will be mentored for optimal scientific growth and progression to future leadership positions in industry and academia.

Position Description

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to join a research group led by Drs. Rachel Nosheny and Michael Weiner. The applicant will be involved in clinical Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia research, utilizing data from the Brain Health Registry (BrainHealthRegistry.org) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The postdoctoral fellow will conduct clinical neuroscience research, with an emphasis on Alzheimer's disease, cognitive aging, and cognitive decline. Areas of particular interest are (1) Remote, digital assessment of cognition and everyday functioning; (2) Characterization of early clinical stages of AD, including subjective cognitive decline; and (3) Improving inclusion and engagement of minoritized populations in research. The postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to be involved in many ongoing projects within the Brain Health Registry and ADNI. They will plan and execute data analyses, prepare manuscripts and abstracts, assist with grant writing, and present work at national and international meetings. 

Key Responsibilities

• Quantitative analysis of data including in-clinic and online self- and study partner-report questionnaires, neuropsychological tests, imaging and biomarker data from longitudinal, observational studies
• Work with Principal Investigator and Co-investigators to generate hypotheses, plan analyses, and interpret data
• Develop innovative ways to use the Internet for assessment of cognitive aging
• Seek out new funding opportunities and help to write grants and proposals 
• Write manuscripts and abstracts

Position Description

The NeuroAI Lab at UCSF, led by Assistant Professor Pedro Pinheiro-Chagas, PhD, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow focused on designing AI Voice Agents for Healthcare. The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team at the intersection of cutting-edge AI and cognitive neuroscience, with the aim to advance discovery, diagnosis, and care of neurodegenerative diseases. The projects will center on designing Autonomous AI Voice Agentic Systems to conduct interviews with patients and caregivers with the ultimate goal of scaling high quality specialist care. In the first project, we are adapting an AI Voice Agent to conduct the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). The CDR is the most widely used instrument to stage cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s Disease and it is used as an endpoint in ongoing clinical trials. Co-led by experts Michael W. Weiner, M.D. (PI of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, ADNI), and Rachel L. Nosheny, Ph.D. (PI of the UCSF Brain Health Registry, a large platform for remote cognitive assessments), the collaborative project offers unique mentorship and high foundational impact.

The fellow will develop generative AI systems featuring advanced generative AI pipelines, leveraging prompt and context engineering and alignment techniques to optimize reliability, transparency, and safety for CDR administration. Key responsibilities include: design of AI Voice Agents, rigorous benchmarking with real and simulated users, implementing automatic scoring, and maintaining security and regulatory compliance according to UCSF Health AI Oversight. The candidate will be expected to optimize AI alignment by ensuring model outputs robustly serve clinical intent and patient well-being, actively minimizing risks such as model hallucinations, and potential adverse events through regular testing and monitoring. The fellow will also disseminate research through conferences and publications, contributing to both AI and neuroscience fields.

Research Environment / Training Context

The NeuroAI Lab operates within the UCSF Fein Memory and Aging Center (MAC) in the Department of Neurology at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences, and maintains affiliations with the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute and the Center for Intelligent Imaging (ci2). The Fein MAC, housed in the Sandler Neurosciences Center, a 237,000 sq. ft. five story building, is a world-renowned research and clinical center dedicated to the study of neurodegenerative diseases. Led by Dr. Bruce Miller, the MAC brings together over 333 trainees and employees, including neurologists, neuropsychologists, and specialists from geriatrics, psychiatry, pharmacy, nursing, social work, and speech pathology. The center conducts large-scale research programs on Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and healthy aging, evaluating hundreds of research participants annually. The MAC provides extensive infrastructure including state-of-the-art neuroimaging facilities with multiple MRI scanners, a 25-room clinical research unit, the UCSF Neurodegenerative Disease Brain Bank, and comprehensive computational resources with high-performance computing clusters and secure data storage systems. Combined with the adjacent Weill Neurosciences Building, this forms one of the largest neuroscience complexes in the world. The postdoctoral fellow will benefit from this rich interdisciplinary environment, with opportunities for collaboration across clinical, computational, and basic neuroscience domains, access to large patient cohorts and datasets, and mentorship from leaders in both AI and neurodegenerative disease research.

Position Description

An NIH-funded postdoctoral position is available to study the molecular, cellular, and microbiologic mechanisms directing pediatric lung injury and repair in the laboratory of Matt Zinter, MD, Associate Professor in Residence, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine at UCSF. 

Current studies in our laboratory leverage BAL fluid and paired blood samples obtained from pediatric HCT patients as well as non-HCT controls. One current project focuses on elucidating peripheral blood correlates of post-HCT lung injury. Here we compare cross-site transcriptomes to identify pulmonary vs. extrapulmonary contributors to patient mortality and measure alveolar and blood peptidomes to support improved diagnostic testing. A second project focuses on determining key pulmonary immune cell populations associated with subtypes of post-HCT lung injury. Here we use flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing of BAL cells to determine key lineages and transcriptional states that define lung injury subtypes and predict outcomes. Immune cells are characterized as marrow-derived vs tissue-resident and of patient vs. allograft origin to unravel the specific cellular drivers of post-HCT lung injury. A third project focuses on evaluating the functional capacity of pulmonary mononuclear phagocytes and evaluating the reversibility of hypo- and hyper-activation using ex vivo stimulation. 

The Zinter Lab is highly collaborative. In addition to leading their own project, postdoctoral fellows have the opportunity to contribute to all ongoing projects in the lab. The Zinter lab also has numerous, ongoing collaborations with investigators across UCSF and in Children’s Hospitals around the world, providing our postdoctoral fellows additional exposure to leading investigators in lung developmental biology. In the Zinter Lab, we value diversity of background, perspective, and experience. We are committed to creating a highly collaborative, dynamic, and positive environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, creativity and passion for the discovery of new knowledge. The Zinter lab is committed to ensuring an inclusive, safe environment where all lab members feel equally valued.

Position Description

The Vasudevan Lab at the University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center is seeking two (2) highly motivated, creative, and independent Postdoctoral Researchers (Ph.D.). Research in the Vasudevan laboratory makes use of molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, mouse genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, pharmacology, and multidisciplinary collaborations to gain new insights into the molecular determinants of human malignancies with an emphasis on growth factor signaling and neurofibromatosis. Our team is comprised of biologists, computational scientists, and physician-scientists working together to advance understanding of cancer biology and improve patient outcomes. Scientific insights stemming from our work have directly inspired clinical trials and changed treatment options for patients at UCSF and beyond. Highly motivated individuals, ideally with prior laboratory experience, are being recruited. Projects will be individualized based on the interests and expriences of the applicant, and the fellow will receive direct mentorship from Dr. Vasudevan to insure specific laboratory responsibilities are directed toward big picture career objectives and future professional aspirations. The position comes with full benefits per UCSF policy, and the salary can be negotiated based on experience.

Position Description

This Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship emphasizes the development of specific skills and competencies in conducting research related to cognitive dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder and/or neurodegenerative diseases of aging in older adults (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, etc.) or other related topics in older adults. The research training focuses on the evaluation of cognitive dysfunction, accelerated cognitive decline, medical comorbidities, and/or structural and functional brain abnormalities associated with late life depression and/or neurodegenerative disease. The core faculty member for this fellowship is a Neuropsychologist. Fellows will devote 75% time to research and 25% percent of their time for clinical, educational, and administrative activities. In collaboration with their mentor, fellows will develop and implement a research project, present their findings at meetings, and publish their work. Additionally, fellows will participate in grant development and grant writing. Clinical training focuses on neuropsychological assessment in a veteran population. 

Position Description

Drs. Lani Wu and Steven Altschuler in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCSF are seeking a computational postdoctoral researcher passionate about applying AI/ML to understand and treat diseases where patients have limited options. This position offers the unique opportunity to develop novel computational methods while directly impacting human health through close partnerships with clinical collaborators. Our lab seeks to understand complex disease by integrating multimodal biological data (high-content imaging, multi-omics, wearable data, clinical records) using machine learning approaches. Current projects focus on neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. The successful candidate will work in a collaborative environment where computational innovations directly inform biological experiments and therapeutic strategies. The Altschuler & Wu labs foster an environment combining the intellectual freedom of academia with the resources and urgency of translational research. Our team includes both computational and experimental scientists, creating rapid feedback loops from algorithm to validation. We are committed to mentoring and supporting career development, with lab alumni successfully placed in both academic and industry leadership positions.

Position Description

The Hsiung Lab (www.hsiunglab.org) at the Institute for Human Genetics at UCSF, is recruiting an exceptionally capable postdoctoral researcher. We are also a member of the UCSF Liver Center, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Innovative Genomics Institute. We are molecular genetics and synthetic biology enthusiasts interested in understanding and engineering emergent properties of genetic elements. We recently developed a functional genomics platform and screen compression framework for exploring higher-order combinatorial genetic perturbations using engineered CRISPR-Cas12a (Hsiung et al., Nature Biotechnology, 2024).

Position Description

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) in the UCSF Division of Prevention Science is accepting applications for 2- to 3-year long postdoctoral fellowships in AIDS prevention research. The Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies (TAPS) Program is a multi-disciplinary NIMH-sponsored postdoctoral training program designed for social and behavioral scientists, physicians, and epidemiologists with a demonstrated interest in HIV/AIDS research. 1-3 fellows are recruited annually.

Position Description

Three postdoctoral fellowships are open in research of tobacco and related substances. Mentored research is the main activity of the fellowship training program. We are absolutely committed to providing and nurturing a strong interdisciplinary environment for mentored research. Our participating faculty cover a broad range of disciplines, including tobacco, e-cigarettes, cannabis and opioid related topics: smokefree policies, tax and economic policies, pharmacology, genetics, and community-based research. In contrast to the situation in many traditional academic departments, the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (CTCRE) was created specifically to foster an interdisciplinary approach to all aspects of tobacco control and related substances, from basic biology through public policy interventions to reduce the burden of disease induced by all forms of tobacco and other substances use. CTCRE is a global leader in tobacco science, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, and home of the Truth Tobacco Industry and Opioid Industry Documents.

Our Postdoctoral Fellowship offers diverse educational and research opportunities, including a grant writing seminar, graduate research positions, advocacy training, and individualized documents training. Our work spans policy and historical research, economics, and science. The purpose of the fellowship is to prepare individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds to join the next generation of academic leaders in tobacco control. Upon completion of training, fellows will be well positioned to be active participants in crucial policy debates about the future development and implementation of tobacco control interventions. The program offers supervised research experience in tobacco control with the Center faculty. Each trainee meets regularly with a faculty mentor regarding research progress and career or professional issues.

Position Description

We are looking for a person with a broad appreciation for data science and a creative mindset. This role will involve 1) working with our research mobile app that we use to capture video for in-clinic and remote biomechanical assessments, and 2) developing projects using multi-domain smartwatch data to characterize response to treatment, as well as predicting future pain episodes in MSK patients. We are looking for an individual who is not afraid to collect data in a motion analysis lab, but also keen on honing skills in mobile app development for remote motion capture. There will be elements of novel algorithm development and multi-domain trajectory analyses. This project involves a motivated person interested in understanding the complexities of effective biomechanical recovery with response to treatment for chronic MSK conditions.