Research Fellow (Spinal Cord Injury Experiments for Neural Tissue Engineering Research)

Nanyang Technological University; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

NTU Singapore invites a motivated PhD‑level scientist to join the lab for a post‑doctoral role focusing on in vivo spinal cord injury cell/scaffold implantation and neural tissue engineering. The candidate will work on evaluating cell transplantation and tissue engineered scaffolds for neural regeneration, with supervision from NTU and Duke-NUS investigators.

The position emphasizes independent experiment design, data interpretation, manuscript writing, and collaboration with international

Qualifications

• PhD-level scientist with in vivo spinal cord injury and neural tissue engineering experience.
• Expertise in rodent models and immunofluorescent/histochemical tissue staining.
• Experience with Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR is a plus.
• Strong written and oral communication skills and manuscript writing.
• Proactive, self-directed work style with excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary team across institutions.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments independently.
• Interpret results and author papers for high‑quality journals.
• Communicate effectively and train students and junior lab members.
• Collaborate with Principal Investigators to maintain an active research program.
• Pursue own research interests across functions.

Skills

Scientific communication

Self-directed work

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in relevant field

Tools

Spinal cord microsurgery

Immunofluorescent staining

Histochemical staining

Confocal microscopy

Western blotting

qRT-PCR

Job description

A Research Fellow/ Post-doctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Sing Yian CHEW (Nanyang Technological University, NTU) and Prof. Shawn JE (Duke-NUS) in Singapore, to a highly motivated candidate who has a passion for in vivo Spinal Cord Injury cell/scaffold implantation treatment and neural tissue engineering research. The focus of this project is to evaluate cell transplantation and tissue engineered scaffolds for in vivo neural tissue regeneration. We are seeking an individual who is experienced in spinal cord injury microsurgery with rats and interested in conducting animal implantation studies, as well as carrying out behavioral tests; and characterizing/evaluating scaffold-cell/tissue interactions through immunofluorescent and histochemical staining and imaging. The candidate will be jointly supervised by Prof. Sing Yian CHEW and Prof. Shawn JE. This position offers a unique opportunity to apply in vivo experimentation skills to neural tissue engineering, through strong collaborative efforts with scientists and engineers across different local and overseas institutions (SMART/MIT, University of Osaka, Nagoya University, NUS).

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will be given opportunities and is expected to design and execute experiments independently.
• He/she is also expected to interpret experimental results, and author papers in high-quality journals in areas that are related to the research.
• The candidate should demonstrate excellent communication skills and should have a strong passion and commitment to science.
• He/she will also work closely with the Principal Investigators to help supervise and train students and junior lab members and to ensure smooth functioning of an active research program.
• The candidate will have the opportunity to explore his/her own interests across functions.

Job Requirements

• Ph.D. level scientist proficient in animal experiments, particularly in spinal cord injury microsurgery and neural tissue engineering.
• Expertise in rodent models, immunofluorescent and histochemical staining of tissues, evaluation of tissue response/interactions using fluorescent microscopy (confocal) imaging.
• Expertise in western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR is a plus.
• Strong ability to communicate effectively orally and in written form, and experienced in writing manuscripts.
• Strong ability to perform self-directed work.
• Strong organizational skills and proactive personality with outstanding motivation, creativity, critical and analytical thinking skills, strong scientific commitment and ability to work as a team.
• Starting salaries will depend on candidate’s qualification and experience.
• Candidates are expected to start March 2026.
• Review of applicants will continue until positions are filled.

Hiring Institution

NTU A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, established jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). Ranked amongst the world’s top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world’s top young university for the past seven years. The University’s main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore’s healthcare district. Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.