"Post-Doctoral Associate"

Position Summary

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is seeking a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS).

Under the direction of the Principal Investigator, the Postdoctoral Associate will perform investigations on the molecular genetic basis of autism. The Postdoctoral Associate will investigate two independent lines of research. One, the molecular basis of macrocephaly, an autism endophenotype where the brain grows too big, too soon. iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells from macrocephalic autistic individuals will be analyzed using multi-omics and then manipulated molecularly to determine the molecular genetic pathways that contribute to macrocephaly. Two, to understand how cis-regulatory variants contribute to autism risk, enhancers will be identified in iPSC-derived neurons using multi-omics, cis-regulatory variants will be mapped onto these enhancers and then their function determined by Massively Parallel Reporter Assays (MPRA). The research will involve stem cell, molecular and large omics data studies. In addition to experimental research and contributions to maintaining the laboratory, the Postdoctoral Associate will be expected to prepare manuscripts for publication, present research at local and national meetings, and contribute to grant applications and reporting. The Postdoctoral Associate will be expected to collaborate effectively with other members of the laboratory and will have an opportunity to guide undergraduate researchers.

Among the key duties of this position are the following:

• Performs experimental research on the molecular genetic basis of autism. Specifically, investigating the basis of the autism macrocephaly phenotype and how cis-regulatory variants contribute to autism risk.
• Uses stem cell, molecular genetic and omic techniques to understand the autism macrocephaly phenotype and how cis-regulatory variants contribute to disease risk.
• Performs: the culturing and maintenance of numerous iPSC lines, the generation and maintenance of NPCs from these iPSC lines, the generation and culturing of induced neurons from these iPSC lines, the isolation and analysis of RNA, protein and phospho-protein from these cultured cells, the molecular manipulation of these cells using knockdown, over-expression and viral transduction, the generation and handling of omic datasets, and the testing of cisregulatory variants using MPRA.
• Maintains detailed, organized and accessible records of experimental work including design, protocols, results, and conclusions.
• Designs, conducts, and interprets experiments with a high degree of independence. Contributes to developing new directions of investigations, informed by experimental results and knowledge of the field.

Minimum Education and Experience:

• PhD degree in Cell and Developmental Biology or a related scientific field is required.
• Candidates in All-But-Degree (ABD) status will also be considered but must hold a PhD degree by the start date of the appointment.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Typical demands required for laboratory work, including: moving around a laboratory area, manual handling of reagents and small equipment such as pipettes, communicating with colleagues.
• Manual dexterity and vision sufficient for standard laboratory operations including pipetting, and use of instrumentation including microscopes.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Laboratory environment.
• Low to moderate noise. Universal safety precautions are mandatory.

Salary:

A minimum of $63,968 for calendar year appointments

Internal Number: 269814

Posting Number: 26ST0364