POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR POSITION
The X. William Yang Laboratory at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to study the in vivo molecular pathogenic mechanisms in Huntington’s disease (HD) with a focus on the HD GWAS modifier genes, including but not limited to those involved in DNA mismatch repair.
The Yang lab has an outstanding track record in developing and applying cutting-edge genetic, genomic, and systems biology approaches to study neurodegenerative disorders including HD and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as well as in developing BRAIN Initiative technologies to map brainwide single-neuron morphology.
Examples of studies from the Yang Lab include the following:
i. Developing novel and widely used human genomic transgenic mouse models of HD (e.g. Gu, Neuron, 2022, PMID: 35114102; Gray, J. Neurosci., 2008, PMID: 18550760).
ii. Characterizing transcriptomic, epigenomic, and proteomic network dysregulation in HD model systems (Langfelder, Nat Neuroscience, 2016, PMID: 26900923; Shirasaki, Neuron, 2012, PMID: 22794259).
iii. Conducting large-scale mouse genetic studies to define distinct mismatch repair complex genes as drivers of selective neuronal pathogenesis in HD through regulation of the rates of somatic Huntingtin (HTT) CAG repeat expansion (Wang et al., Cell, 2025, PMID: 39938516).
iv. Defining neuronal targets of HTT lowering to ameliorate HD pathogenesis in vivo (Wang, Nature Medicine, 2014, PMID: 24784230).
v. Demonstrating that boosting TREM2 levels is a therapeutic strategy for AD by remodeling microglial responsivity and ameliorating AD-related pathologies in vivo (Lee, Neuron, 2018, PMID: 29518357).
vi. Developing a novel “genetic Golgi staining” method and an integrated imaging/informatics pipeline for 3D whole-brain single-neuron morphological mapping (Veldman, Neuron, 2020, PMID: 32795398; Park, Nature Neuroscience, 2025, PMID: 41174172).
The candidate may perform the following studies: investigation of genetic modifier genes in HD mouse models; molecular and neuropathological analyses; cloning and generation of molecular reagents (e.g. AAV) for in vivo perturbation studies; transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling (RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and ChIP-seq); confocal and light-sheet imaging of mouse brains; and analyses of molecular and imaging datasets.
The candidates should have a PhD in neuroscience, molecular biology, and/or molecular genetics. Strong candidates should show a passion for studying brain disease and a demonstrated track record of productivity, work ethic, creativity, and independence. Expertise in one or more of the following areas is required: molecular biology (e.g. molecular cloning, omics profiling, viral-based studies), mouse genetics, and neuroscience.
Interested candidates should submit a statement on their research experience and goals, Curriculum Vitae, and 2-3 reference letters to Dr. X. William Yang (xwyang@mednet.ucla.edu) and Candy Yu (CandyYu@mednet.ucla.edu).