Associate Staff Scientist; Lang Non-visual photoreception

A full time Postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Prof. Richard Lang at the Science of Light (SOL) Center and the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the United States. We are seeking highly motivated applicants to investigate light receptors, metabolic regulation and nervous system development. The ideal candidate is expected to work both independently and as part of an interactive team.

Full‑time positions are available for 2 years (with the possibility of a renewal for two years, pending satisfactory performance). Starting date:
As soon as possible.

The Lang lab is currently working to understand how the non‑visual opsins OPN3 (encephalopsin), OPN4 (melanopsin) and OPN5 (neuropsin) regulate light‑dependent development and homeostasis. We have shown that both melanopsin/OPN4 (Rao et al., Nature, 2013) and neuropsin/OPN5 (Nguyen et al., Nature Cell Biology, 2019) provide timing cues for vascular development in the eye and regulate refractive (Linne et al., Mol Vis, 2023, Jiang et al.,

PNAS, 2021) and photoreceptor (D’Souza et al., Dev Cell, 2024) development. We have also shown that OPN3 in adipocytes and in the para ventricular nucleus (Nayak et al., Cell Reports, 2020; Haddad et al., PNAS, 2025) as well as OPN5 in hypothalamic neurons (Zhang et al., 2020) regulate metabolism and energy homeostasis. This work describes a new light‑dependent physiological axis.

• Conduct Research – Design, execute and record laboratory experiments; apply standard scientific/research protocols; improve current methods; evaluate innovative techniques; maintain accurate records; develop, set‑up and verify new procedures; troubleshoot and correct errors; maintain equipment.
• Publish – Draft, write and edit scientific reports, papers, journal articles and abstracts; present at local, national and international scientific meetings.
• Teamwork – Train and supervise other laboratory personnel as appropriate; participate in laboratory meetings, presentations and publications.
• Financial Management – Assist in preparing, writing and maintaining fiscal budget; monitor expenditures; prepare capital expenditure requests; manage check requests.
• Leadership – Mentor junior staff; serve as a point of contact for complex issues; provide education, guidance and working direction.

• PhD in genetics, molecular, cell or developmental biology (or similar).
• 3+ years of work experience in a related discipline.

Preferred skillsets:

• Theoretical and practical grounding in molecular and cell biology.
• Knowledge within the fields of chronobiology and photoreceptors.
• Skills with quantitative and computational analysis.

Location:

Cincinnati, United States

Schedule:

Full time;
Day (United States of America)

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.