Karl Lewis

The Lewis Laboratory in the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University is seeking a postdoctoral associate to develop and apply advanced imaging and labeling methods for studying how the nervous system regulates osteocyte mechanotransduction in bone. This project is centered on two complementary experimental directions: intravital multiphoton imaging of osteocyte signaling during mechanical loading in vivo, and whole-mount immunohistochemistry to map cholinergic nerve fibers in relation to osteocytes in intact bone. The work combines imaging with mechanical loading, genetic, pharmacological, and optogenetic approaches to test how neural signals influence which osteocytes respond to force and whether those responses contribute to long-term skeletal adaptation. The position sits within the Lewis Lab, which develops intravital imaging approaches to interrogate new concepts in bone mechanotransduction. Cornell’s biomedical engineering environment brings together engineers, life scientists, and clinicians, and the university offers research infrastructure including multiphoton, confocal, light-sheet, and micro-CT imaging as well as engineering resources for biomechanics, design, and fabrication. The successful candidate will take ownership of experimental development, troubleshoot and refine methods, analyze and interpret data, contribute to manuscripts and grant proposals, and work collaboratively with lab members and research partners.