Research Track: Research Assistant Professor

Research Track: Research Assistant Professor Cell Biology and Genetics

Location Bryan/College Station, TX

Open Date 10/8/2026

Position ID 192806

Description

The Department of Cell Biology and Genetics (CBGN) in the Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, Texas A&M University seeks to fill one (1) research track position for a full-time, 11-month appointment, with an anticipated start date in January 2027. Applications will be accepted at the rank of Research Assistant Professor from candidates specializing in developing stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle therapeutics for Brain Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and traumatic brain injury.

The chosen candidate’s primary academic responsibility will be in Research, with duties to include:

• Studying the efficacy of naïve and engineered stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in models of brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and traumatic brain injury.

• Elucidating the mechanisms of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle-mediated anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and neurogenic effects in models of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Studying protein and RNA biomarkers in brain-derived extracellular vesicles in the blood from models of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases and patients using a liquid biopsy approach.

• Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data using neurobehavioral, immunohistochemical, neuroimaging, cellular, and molecular biological approaches in transgenic models of neurodegenerative diseases.

• Drafting manuscripts for publication and submitting grant proposals to extramural funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

The chosen candidate’s secondary academic responsibility in Teaching will involve mentoring postdoctoral fellows, research associates/assistants, and graduate and undergraduate students in research.

Additional duties will include writing and maintaining IACUC, IBC, and IRB protocols for ongoing research programs, and maintaining laboratory equipment.

NARESH K. VASHISHT COLLEGE OF MEDICINE (https://medicine.tamu.edu): The college comprises more than 500 faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and staff engaged in diverse research fields, ranging from basic cellular processes to complex diseases. Research utilizes human cell culture systems and multiple model organisms, including mice, insects, yeast, and microbes. Experimental investigations are supported by advanced imaging technologies, high-throughput screening and analysis tools, bioinformatics resources, and molecular modeling. Research activities are organized into six primary areas, along with several centers and institutes. Faculty and research staff have access to advanced core facilities located on the Bryan-College Station campus and at the Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston, Texas.

RESEARCH IN THE CBGN (https://medicine.tamu.edu/departments/cbgn): The Department of Cell Biology and Genetics conducts research spanning a broad spectrum of biological processes and chronic diseases. Well-funded and nationally recognized programs are advancing mechanistic understanding of cellular biology, including transcription, translation, and protein trafficking, as well as complex regulatory pathways such as signal transduction, gene regulation, epigenetics, development, and differentiation. Research areas also include brain aging and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, Gulf War Illness, autoimmune disorders, cancers, fungal infections, and metabolic diseases. Investigators are actively developing novel therapeutics for chronic illnesses and fungal infections.

Information about Texas A&M University can be found online here: https://www.tamu.edu/about/index.html.

Together, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Health, and the Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine are working to improve healthcare through transformative education, innovative research, and team-based care delivery.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

PhD degree in Biotechnology, Neuroscience, or Regenerative Medicine, or related areas

Preferred Qualifications:

Expertise in:

• Directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into various neural lineages, neural stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells.

• Studying the characteristics of extracellular vesicles derived from various stem cells using quality control in vitro assays, small-RNA sequencing, and proteomics.

• Modeling penetrative brain injury and repeated concussion brain injury using surgical approaches.

• Studying Alzheimer’s disease using transgenic mouse models of amyloidosis and tauopathy, including expertise in breeding to generate new transgenic mouse strains and genotyping.

• Intranasal and intravenous administration of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in rodent models of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases

• Studying neuropathological changes in models of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence/confocal microscopy, qPCR, ELISA, and Western Blots.

• Studying brain cell-specific transcriptomic changes in neurodegenerative disease models using single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing and proteomics approaches.

• Elucidating protein and RNA biomarkers in microglia-, astrocyte-, and neuron-derived extracellular vesicles in the blood from rodent models and patients with neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Super-resolution single-molecule microscopy to quantify synapses and extracellular vesicles and their cargo from cell culture preparations and brain tissue sections.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants must apply through the Texas A&M University faculty job board hosted by Interfolio at apply.interfolio.com/194382 and upload the following:

1. Cover letter

2. Curriculum Vitae

3. Personal statement (3 pages maximum) to include research interests and plans for developing an independent research program

4. Contact information for at least three (3) references to solicit letters of recommendation

Questions can be sent to the attention of Crystal Perkkio or Prof. Siegfried Musser ([email protected]) Search Committee Chair.