"Postdoctoral Research Scholar Position - Pain Research"

Postdoctoral Research Scholar Position - Pain Research

Company: North Carolina State University

Job Location: Raleigh, NC

Category: Medical Research

Type: Full-Time

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Position Number: 00111592

Essential Job Duties: The Translational Research in Pain (TRiP) Program and the Mishra Lab at North Carolina State University is looking for a dynamic and talented postdoctoral research scholar for a position that is immediately available. The NIH-funded work evaluating the role of ligand(s)/receptor(s) signaling in osteoarthritis (OA) pain to (1) understand the mechanisms of musculoskeletal pain, and (2) identification of therapeutic targets for musculoskeletal pain using two different mouse models of OA, and naturally occurring OA in owned pet dogs and cats. Both ligand and receptor components will be investigated in normal and disease conditions using naïve and transgenic animals with variety of cellular and molecular approaches. The project involves behavioral assays of pain, function and movement (reflexive, limb use, complex behaviors) in all species; benchtop molecular biology assays (e.g., qPCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, Ca2+ imaging, in-situ hybridization, IHC); histology. This will be a two-year minimum position, and this would be the successful candidate's main focus of work. Our group has strong connections and collaborations with pain researchers at UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The successful candidate would be encouraged to formulate and test novel hypotheses, work independently as well as train graduate students.
• The selected candidate will work under the direct guidance of Dr. Duncan Lascelles (a translational pain researcher, veterinarian and Specialist in Small Animal Surgery) and Dr. Mishra (neurobiologist).
• The selected candidate will interact/work with a technician dedicated to the project. Other team members include graduate students; Veterinarian Research Assistants; Research Specialist Technicians; undergraduate students. Close on-site faculty collaborators include Drs. Margaret Gruen (veterinarian, Specialist in Behavior, pain researcher) and Mike Nolan (Radiation Oncologist and cancer/pain researcher).
• The postdoctoral associate will be expected to carry out independent work, make presentations regarding his/her research, to publish their research results in peer-reviewed journals, to participate in grant proposal preparation, and to interact with other faculty, postdoctoral associates, and graduate students at the University level and across collaborating institutions of the project.
• All aspects of work will be closely mentored with the goal of transitioning the incumbent to be an independent investigator/researcher.

Departmental Required Skills: Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., M.D., D.V.M., Sc.D.) with background in pain research and/or neuroscience. Hard working, highly motivated and ability to handle multiple projects. Experience with basic benchtop molecular and cellular assays (e.g., qPCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry/immunoflourescent assays, fluorescent and confocal microscopy). Experience with behavioral pain assays in mice and rats. Experience working with dogs preferred. Previous grant and manuscript writing experience preferred. Excellent verbal and written communication skills with outstanding organizational and analytical abilities.

Department: 194001 - Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences

Location: Raleigh, NC