Postdoctoral Position | Tizzano Laboratory

Tizzano Laboratory | Monell Chemical Senses Center

The Monell Chemical Senses Center, founded in 1968, is the world’s first nonprofit scientific institute devoted exclusively to basic research on the chemical senses: taste, smell, and chemosensory irritation. Research at Monell contributes to a wide range of scientific and practical knowledge. With more than fifty Ph.D.-level scientists, the Center is making major progress toward understanding how the chemical senses function and their importance in everyday life. The Center is located in the University City area of Philadelphia. For more information on Monell, please visit our website at www.monell.org.

Dr. Marco Tizzano’s laboratory at the Monell Chemical Senses Center is now accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship position beginning in January 2019. The Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia is a world-renowned institute focusing on taste and smell research. It is closely associated with the University of Pennsylvania and provides a highly vibrant, collegial and intellectually stimulating environment.

Harmful compounds and xenobiotics carried in inhaled air or ingested food continually assault the nasal and oral cavities and can cause severe inflammatory conditions. Chemosensitivity of the respiratory and oral mucosae plays an important role in airway inflammation and oral health disorders. Solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs), specialized chemosensitive sentinel cells of the epithelial mucosa, respond to bitter-like chemicals and bacterial metabolites by triggering inflammatory and behavioral protective mechanisms. As such, fundamental questions arise as to how animals sense dangerous compounds and bacterial infection and how the mucosal immune system interact with epithelial cells to control pathogens. Using multiple approaches ranging from genetics to molecular biology, imaging, physiology, electrophysiology and behavior, the Tizzano’s lab aims to address the molecular and cellular mechanisms of SCC function as mucosal protective element and its interaction with the immune system to promote elimination of the pathogen.

Qualifications:

The Tizzano’s lab is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow interested in studying the mechanisms and the function of SCCs and the interaction with the immune system in the protection of nasal and oral mucosae. Applicants are required a Ph.D. degree. Candidates with expertise in immunology, electrophysiology, imaging, and molecular and cell biology are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

Representative Publications

• Tizzano M, Gulbransen BD, Vandenbeuch A, Clapp TR, Herman JP, et al. Nasal chemosensory cells use bitter taste signaling to detect irritants and bacterial signals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Feb 16;107(7):3210-5. PubMed PMID: 20133764; PubMed PMCID: PMC2840287.
• Tizzano M, Finger TE. Chemosensors in the nose: guardians of the airways. Physiology (Bethesda). 2013 Jan;28(1):51-60. PubMed PMID: 23280357; PubMed PMCID: PMC3736818.
• Barham HP, Cooper SE, Anderson CB, Tizzano M, Kingdom TT, Finger TE, Kinnamon SC, Ramakrishnan VR. Solitary chemosensory cells and bitter taste receptor signaling in human sinonasal mucosa. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2013 Jun;3(6):450-7. PubMed PMID: 23404938; PubMed PMCID: PMC3655139.
• Saunders CJ, Christensen M, Finger TE, Tizzano M. Cholinergic neurotransmission links solitary chemosensory cells to nasal inflammation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Apr 22;111(16):6075-80. PubMed PMID: 24711432; PubMed PMCID: PMC4000837.

Application Instructions:

Interested applicants should submit the following documents to http://apply.interfolio.com/59642

• A cover letter describing your research interests, goals, and how you would integrate your interests to the Tizzano’s lab research focus.
• A curriculum vitae.
• The contact information of three references

Monell Chemical Senses Center shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a) and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.