Postdoctoral Associate - Pain Neuroscience, Neuroimmunology, and Neuroendocrinology

These two laboratories collaborate closely, offering complementary research and training. Our research examines how immune, hormonal, and neural signals interact to regulate nociception, chronic pain, itch, inflammation, and reproductive physiology.

Neuroimmune mechanisms of pain and itch - Kashem Laboratory

The Kashem Laboratory investigates how the immune and nervous systems communicate within tissues to control inflammation and sensation. We study how immune cells and tissue-innervating neurons signal to one another and how these interactions shape health and disease in tissues including the skin and meninges. A major focus is endogenous opioid signaling in neuroimmune circuits. Our work identified regulatory T cell-derived enkephalin as an endogenous mechanism that acts through δ-opioid receptors on sensory neurons to suppress pain and itch. The laboratory is also expanding into human immunology and neuroscience using approaches including iPSC-derived systems and CRISPR screening to identify therapeutically relevant neuroimmune mechanisms and new targets for treating pain and itch. kashemlab.com

Neuroendocrinology, reproductive states, and pain - Midavaine Laboratory

The Midavaine Laboratory investigates how sex hormones, reproductive states, and immune signals reshape the nervous system to regulate pain, sensory function, and reproductive physiology. We seek to understand why pain and sensory processing differ between females and males, how physiological states such as pregnancy remodel neural circuits, and how maternal experiences can shape sensory function across generations. A central focus is hormone-dependent plasticity of sensory neurons and their associated immune and neural circuits. Our recent work established that meningeal regulatory T cells inhibit nociception in female mice through an enkephalin-δ-opioid receptor pathway dependent on ovarian hormones (Midavaine et al., Science, 2025). Building on this discovery, we are investigating how hormonal transitions reprogram sensory neurons, spinal glia, and brain circuits across the lifespan, from development through pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause, and how these adaptations influence susceptibility and resilience to pain.

Together, the laboratories provide a highly collaborative environment in which postdoctoral fellows can integrate complementary expertise in neurobiology, immunology, hormonal physiology, and sensory neuroscience. Our long-term goal is to uncover fundamental mechanisms controlling pain, sensation, and inflammation and translate these discoveries into new therapeutic strategies. midavainelab.com

Representative publications:

• Midavaine E, Moraes BC, Benitez J, et al. Meningeal regulatory T cells inhibit nociception in female mice. Science 388:96–104 (2025).
• Kashem SW, et al. Nociceptive sensory fibers drive IL-23 from CD301b+ dermal dendritic cells to provide protection from cutaneous C. albicans infection. Immunity 43:515–526 (2015).
• Kashem SW, et al. Candida albicans morphology and DC subsets determine T helper differentiation. Immunity 42:356–366 (2015).

Research Environment and Training

The laboratories combine mouse genetics, neuroendocrine manipulation, cellular and molecular immunology, single-cell and spatial genomics, epigenomics, in vivo calcium imaging, whole-organ and whole-brain imaging, molecular pharmacology, CRISPR-based approaches, and behavioral neuroscience to interrogate pain and sensory circuits from molecular mechanisms to whole-animal physiology. Postdoctoral fellows will design and lead their own experimental programs while participating in the collaborative scientific life of both laboratories. Projects will be tailored to the fellow's scientific interests and career goals, with opportunities to develop new technical expertise, pursue independent funding, publish high-impact work, mentor junior scientists, and establish the scientific foundation for an independent research program. We value intellectual independence, scientific rigor, collaboration, and curiosity, and particularly welcome researchers interested in bringing perspectives from different disciplines to questions that cannot be answered from a single field.

Potential Start Date: January 2027

Responsibilities

Research and experimentation: 70%

• Design, perform, analyze, and interpret experiments spanning neuroscience, immunology, endocrinology, molecular biology, genomics, imaging, and behavior.
• Develop and troubleshoot new techniques and experimental models and drive projects forward with scientific independence and rigor.
• Laboratory resource management and record-keeping: 10%
• Maintain accurate, contemporaneous laboratory records and electronic notebooks.
• Contribute to management of reagents, protocols, equipment, mouse colonies, data, and shared laboratory resources.

Lab and scientific community: 5%

• Attend and present at lab meetings, journal clubs, and relevant departmental, collaborative, and institutional meetings.

Scientific writing: 15%

• Prepare manuscripts and contribute to scientific publications.
• Develop independent fellowship, grant, and career-development applications.

Pay and Benefits

• Pay Range: Expected annual stipend will be at least $63,480, adjusted for the next fiscal year according to University and Medical School guidelines.

Time Appointment: 100%

Position Type: Postdoctoral Associate

University of Minnesota postdoctoral benefits include competitive wages, paid holidays and time off, professional development opportunities, medical, dental, and pharmacy plans, flexible spending accounts, University HSA contributions, disability and life insurance, wellbeing programs, financial counseling services, and an Employee Assistance Program.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications (must be outlined on resume):

• PhD, MD, or equivalent degree in neuroscience, immunology, reproductive biology, or a related discipline, completed or expected before the start date.
• Demonstrated research productivity and ability to conduct rigorous research independently and meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal scientific communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in one or more of the following: sensory neuroscience, cellular or molecular immunology, neuroendocrinology, reproductive biology, mouse genetics, single-cell or spatial genomics, epigenomics, in vivo imaging, or GPCR/opioid signaling.
• Quantitative and data-analysis skills (e.g., R or Python) and/or experience with genomics or imaging pipelines.