Important Info
Submit application materials directly via email: vbs@stanford.edu
Postdoctoral position in developmental and stem cell neuroscience
Dr. Suzanne Tharin’s lab in the Department of Neurosurgery is recruiting a full-time postdoctoral fellow to an NIH-funded project. The long-term goal of the research in the Tharin lab is to understand the development of the corticospinal circuitry, and to leverage this understanding to discover novel treatments to restore function following spinal cord injury. Corticospinal motor neurons are the cortical projection neurons that control the most precise aspects of voluntary movement, and injury to these cells is central to paralysis in spinal cord injury. Future regeneration strategies are limited by the current understanding of the development of corticospinal motor neurons from stem and progenitor cells. Our laboratory is particularly interested in microRNAs - small non-coding RNAs that simultaneously regulate the expression of multiple genes - and has identified microRNA controls over multiple aspects of corticospinal motor neuron development, from fate determination to axonal projections to dendritic development. The current, funded, project builds on our discovery of a genomic cluster of microRNAs selectively expressed by corticospinal motor neurons (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2006700117). We will investigate epigenetic co-regulation of these microRNAs in corticospinal motor neurons, and co-regulation of axon guidance pathways by these microRNAs to favor corticospinal over callosal projection neuron fate. This microRNA-mediated specification of fate represents a novel mechanism of cortical projection neuron development, with implications not only for fundamental mechanisms of cortical development, but also for understanding the evolution of the complex connectivity of the mammalian central nervous system. Our group collaborates with multiple departments at Stanford and beyond.
Responsibilities:
As a member of the lab team, you will bring your knowledge to the group and learn protocols / standard operating procedures, conduct experiments, analyze data, assess literature, and prepare presentations and reports. Specifically in this position, you will collaborate with team members to understand roles of microRNAs in cortical projection neuron development. As a growing leader in the field, you will also share your knowledge with other lab members, attend laboratory meetings, present research progress, and have excellent communication skills. Postdocs should bring their own individual motivation, drive, and creativity that underlie the resilience to persist and succeed.
Other notes:
Postdoc positions are mentored training positions under the direction of a faculty member and are funded and carried out in accordance with University policies and procedures.
- PhD in a biological science.
- Prior work experience in hands-on laboratory bench work and experimental planning.
- Major project from doctoral training is largely finished (either published or in press/revision).
- Preferred experience in experimentation for brain development, molecular biology, and rodent models.
- Preferred experience in in utero electroporation of mouse embryos, bioinformatic analysis of deep sequencing datasets including ATAC-Seq.
• CV [including education, research experiences, publications, and previous employment]
• A one-page statement of research accomplishments and interests
• Contact information for 3 professional references