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Postdoctoral Fellowship

Employer
Boston University
Location
Boston, Massachusetts (US)
Salary
$50,000/yr + benefits (Std. NIH Salary)
Closing date
Apr 25, 2021

View more

Discipline
Life Sciences, Cell Biology
Position Type
Full Time
Job Type
Postdoc Fellowship
Organization Type
Academia

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neurodegenerative Disease mechanisms,

Job Description: An NIH funded postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Benjamin Wolozin to study the molecular basis of neurodegenerative disease. The laboratory investigates the role of RNA binding proteins in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson disease.

Current studies characterize the protein interaction and RNA interaction networks in the context of the disease stress response, RNA granules and pathological complexes (e.g., tau, TIA1, TDP-43). An important goal is to understand how the complexes change with disease, identify which are the crucial modulators of each type of complex, and identify methods of intervention to normalize the disease-related changes of these complexes. We are keen to analyze these networks in cell type specific manner, investigating the specific biologies of neurons, microglia, astrocytes and the neurovascular unit in the context of disease.

The work employs multiple advance technologies including proteomics (proximity profile labeling, protein::protein interaction networks), genomics (scRNAseq, CLiPseq, etc), RNA metabolism (RNA modifications, RNA splicing, circRNA, BONCAT, SunSET, translational control), synthetic biology, live cell imaging and immunochemical approaches. The laboratory utilizes human tissues, animal models and human brain spheroids.

Upon joining my laboratory, the postdoctoral candidate will focus on studies of neurodegenerative disease, ranging from in vitro studies of liquid-liquid phase separation, to analysis of splicing and translation, to investigation of animal or human (iPSC/organoid) models of disease. Approaches utilize live imaging, proteomics, systems biology, viruses and synthetic biology. Recent studies demonstrate that reducing the RNA binding protein TIA1 delays progression in a mouse model of tauopathy (Ash, et al, PNAS 2021, PMID 33619090, Apicco, et al, Nature Neuro., 2018, 21(1):72-80, PMID: 29273772; Jiang et al, Acta Neuropath. 2019, 137(2):259-77. PMID 30465259), Pourhaghighi, et al, Cell Systems, 2020, 10(4):333-350. PMID: 32325033 and Jiang et al BIORXIV/2020/409334.

Subject Matter:

  • Animal models of tauopathy and ALS: Mechanisms
  • RNA metabolism: RNA binding proteins, proteomics, RNA translation, RNAseq, eCLIP, RNA splicing
  • Human iPSCs/spheroids and brain: biomarkers and therapeutic approaches

Desired Skills: Any of the skills below would be helpful for this position.

  • Gene delivery, viruses, over-expression, knockdown, CRISPR
  • Biochemistry and protein aggregation
  • Immunohistochemistry, Immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting
  • Proteomics
  • Transcriptomics
  • Optogenetics
  • Molecular Neuropathology
  • Systems Biology
  • Behavior
  • Neuronal culture: primary neuron culture, iPSCs and cell lines
  • Live cell imaging and Super-resolution imaging

About the employer: The laboratory is well funded and positions are available immediately. Boston University School of Medicine is located in the heart of one of the world’s most vibrant biotechnology communities. The laboratory is a moderate sized lab (~10 people), with 2200 square feet of space, with all necessary resources.

Highest priority will be given to candidates who are about to finish their Ph.D., or within 1 year of finishing their Ph.D. (i.e., early postdocs). For more information, visit the Wolozin Lab website: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-pm/research/laboratories/wolozinlab/

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