Postdoctoral Scholar

University of Nevada Reno • Reno, NV

8d

About The Position

The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine's Department of Physiology and Cell Biology is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with a background in cellular and molecular biology. A fully-funded position is immediately available to investigate mechanisms controlling motility in the lower esophageal sphincter, namely how tone is generated and maintained and how this activity is modulated by inhibitory and excitatory motor inputs. This project involves the use of isometric tension recording, electrophysiology, calcium imaging, cell dispersion for FACS and qPCR, RNAscope and protein expression analyses (Jess electrophoresis and immunohistochemistry).

Requirements

• PhD in cellular/molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology, neuroscience or relevant field, acquired within five years of start date
• Experience with molecular biology techniques (qPCR, western blot), immunohistochemistry/immunocytochemistry and fluorescence imaging (confocal immunofluorescence, live imaging) techniques, statistical analyses and figure preparation.
• Strong organizational skills and oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to prepare drafts of manuscripts for publication.
• Capacity to work on projects independently and collaboratively.
• Goal-oriented motivation towards solving fundamental questions in gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology.

Nice To Haves

• Existing first author publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals in the field of cellular or molecular biology.
• Knowledge of tissue dissection, genotyping, single cell/nuclei or bulk RNA sequencing, cell/tissue culture, cell transfection and/or ELISA is highly desirable but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Execution and design of experiments to determine the gene and protein expression profile of cells within the SIP syncytium (smooth muscle cells, interstitial cells of Cajal, PDGFRa+ cells).
• Execution and design of experiments to evaluate calcium signaling in smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal.
• Relate molecular and calcium signaling findings to contractile behaviors of the tissue.
• Contributing to timely experimental execution, data collection, and rigorous data analysis.
• Reporting experimental findings in written publications and oral presentations, incorporating own findings with the existing published literature.
• Generating preliminary data for future grant proposals.
• Working towards developing an independent research career.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree