Applications are invited for two postdoctoral researchers to model the dynamics of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain at the University of Rochester. The work will focus on fluid flow and transport of solutes, including wastes and nutrients, in the glymphatic system, which circulates cerebrospinal fluid through the brain during sleep. That circulation has important implications for human health: diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s correlate with accumulation of brain metabolic wastes, and pathologies such as stroke and cardiac arrest involve damaging swelling caused by the inrush of cerebrospinal fluid. The postdoctoral researchers will develop high-fidelity models of local flows using direct numerical simulations and extend an existing, brain-wide hydraulic network model of the fluid pathways. They will also develop local and brain-wide models for solute transport, caused by both advection and diffusion, based on the flow models. Several related questions about brain fluid flow might also be addressed. Experience with computational fluid dynamics is key; experience with neuroscience or other biological applications is also desirable.
More information is available at www.me.rochester.edu/projects/dhkelley-lab. For full consideration, applicants should email a curriculum vitae and cover letter to d.h.kelley@rochester.edu.