Post-Doctoral Associate - Military Veterans

Responsibilities/Duties:

The successful candidate will be joining a collaborative research team studying basic iron biology in the developing brain in Dr. Thomas Bastian's lab in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology. This position is located at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities on the East Bank.

75%- Lab Research. This position will be responsible for designing, initiating, performing, and analyzing neuronal culture and in vivo mouse experiments both independently and collaboratively with the PI and/or other lab members. Experiments will assess the basic cellular handling of iron in developing neurons and will include techniques such as immunoprecipitation, western blotting, qPCR, live fluorescent imaging of neuronal cultures, and immunocytochemistry and fluorescent microscopy of individual neurons in fixed cultures or tissue sections for dendrite structure, synapses, and mitochondrial localization. Image analysis using FIJI/Imagej will be used to assess dendrite morphology, mitochondrial density, and synapse density. It is ultimately expected that the candidate will generate important scientific results that will lead to first-author publications in scientific journals and opportunities for new funding. It is also expected that this individual will recruit, mentor and train new students and lab technicians.

25%- Grant/Manuscript Writing and Research Presentations. This successful candidate for this post-doc position will be expected to obtain independent funding through grant and fellowship applications. They will also be responsible for presenting their research findings at local, regional, national, and international research conferences. It is expected that this individual will be the primary author for any research findings warranting publication.

Required Qualifications:
Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (achieved or pending).

Preferred qualifications:

Excellent understanding of experimental design and scientific method including proper controls
Ability and desire to write grants, original research papers, and present findings at conferences
Has experience with laboratory animal handling, preferably rodents (e.g., rats or mice)
Detailed laboratory record keeping and organizational skills
Ability to help design research studies and independently plan and perform complex experiments and data analyses
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, solve problems, and manage/prioritize multiple tasks
Preference will be given to candidates with strong scientific and personal integrity, strong work ethic, and enthusiasm for learning