"Post-Doctoral Fellow"

Post-Doctoral Fellow

University of Colorado | CU Anschutz Medical Campus

The Department of Neurology

Position #00803130 – Requisition #27665

Nature of the Work

The Department of Neurology has an opening for a full-time temporary postdoctoral fellow to work on projects led by Drs. Maria Nagel and Diego Restrepo. This position will collaborate with study colleagues at all levels of the organization. We are seeking an individual who is collaborative, communicative, caring, detail oriented and organized, proactive, able to think critically, focused on quality, dedicated to personal growth, and highly motivated in all areas of study coordination.

The position will work independently and in collaboration with Dr. Maria Nagel who directs alphaherpesvirus and Sars-CoV-2 research projects, as well as with Dr. Restrepo who directs olfactory system research projects on the role of viral infection in Alzheimer's disease. The postdoctoral fellow will assist with the design, performance and analysis of experiments and preparation of manuscripts and grants.

The position is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Hours are usually 8:00 to 5:00 weekdays, but occasional evening and frequent weekend hours may be required.

Examples of Work Performed

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Coordinate the design, performance, and analysis of experiments independently and in collaboration with the Principal Investigators (PI) which may involve
  • Dissecting host-virus interactions in cells, mice, or guinea pigs infected with alphaherpesviruses or SARS-CoV-2
  • Determining how alphaherpesviruses contribute to established pathologies of amyloid-associated diseases including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and macular degeneration
  • Determining how modulation of olfactory signaling contributes to neurodegenerative diseases and whether optogenetic or chemogenetic approaches can restore function
  • Examining how virus-derived exosomes or HSV-1 infection in mice contributes to behavioral deficits and neuropathological changes
  • Testing efficacy of antiviral drugs in vitro and in vivo
• Working, communicating, and collaborating with various colleagues (e.g., principal investigator, clinicians, medical staff, sponsors, contract research organizations (CROs), and neurology research staff, finance and billing professionals, and regulatory team) at various stages of each study assigned.
• Provide excellent customer service to both internal and external stakeholders by presenting a positive image of the department and University.
• Assisting with grant and manuscript writing.
• Managing accurate and timely documentation of all research activities and correspondences with collaborators (e.g., chain of custody lab samples, progress reports) that adhere to department, University and federal policies and protocols.
• The candidate may be responsible for the supervision of more junior members of the laboratory.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work independently and within diverse team structures.
• Respect patient privacy/rights and put patient safety first, excellent patient rapport for any clinically-related projects or human sample acquisition
• A positive, motivated, engaged, and caring attitude
• Great attention to detail and quality
• Ability to work with colleagues and patients in a confidential and professional manner
• Follow best practices in research (ICH guidelines, GCP, FDA guidelines)
• Ability to follow and execute a study protocol and proactively prevent deviations
• Ability to follow direction of the PI and direct supervisor, follow all department SOPs and department policies
• Good documentation practices
• Dedication to professional development and life-long learning
• Ability to be adaptable, flexible, and to think on your feet
• Experience with web-based tracking systems and Microsoft Office suite (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Access)

Salary and Benefits

The salary range (*or hiring range*) for this postdoctoral fellowship year 0 position has been established as $54,480.

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

Benefits

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in molecular biology or related field
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Sigmaplot or equivalent statistical analysis program; MATLAB imaging software, Image J, or equivalent
• Experience in (1) cell culture; (2) experimental murine models; (3) microscopy and image analysis; and (4) molecular biology techniques, including gene editing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in testing novel antimicrobial drugs in vitro and in murine models and determining mechanisms of action
• Expertise in mouse dissections
• Experience in immunohisto- and cyto-chemistry, confocal microscopy and imaging software (MATLAB, Image J), and basic tissue culture and virology techniques
• Experience in gene editing, nucleic acid extraction, and PCR.