Postdoctoral Research Associate - Genetics

Washington University in St. Louis

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The laboratories of Dr. Jeff Milbrandt and Dr. Rob Mitra invite highly motivated candidates to apply for positions as joint postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Genetics and McDonnell Genome Institute at WashU in St. Louis. These fellows will develop research programs in Personalized Medicine aimed at revealing the pathogenic mechanisms of disease-associated variants via monitoring phenotypic changes of genetically perturbed iPSC-derived neurons and glia. Our collaborative, multidisciplinary group studies the mechanistic basis of genetic abnormalities that result in neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative disorders, with particular emphasis on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic deficits in disease progression. To address these questions, we use a novel multi-omics approach that integrates high-throughput imaging and machine learning methods with CRISPR/Cas9 screens and saturation mutagenesis to answer central questions about the pathophysiology that results from genetic mutations in mitochondrial proteins, chromatin regulators, and metabolic enzymes. We interpret our experiments in the context of curated clinical phenotypes and validate key findings using banked patient samples. This opportunity requires the ability to visit St. Louis for potential interviews.