A postdoctoral position is immediately available in the Bieberich Lab at the University of Kentucky, Lexington KY. The initial focus of the postdoctoral scientist will be exciting NIH-funded projects examining function of lipids, particularly the sphingolipid ceramide, in neural development and neurodegeneration. We have long-term funding and immediate openings related to projects on the function of sphingolipids, specifically ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate, in cell signaling for neural development and disease. Particularly, we are interested in the role of ceramide for extracellular vesicle-mediated neurodegeneration and sphingosine-1-phosphate-mediated activation of glia in Alzheimer’s disease. We use integrative omics approaches to identify candidate cell signaling factors regulated by sphingolipids as well as mechanism-driven targeted approaches applying cutting edge molecular biology, imaging, and spectrometric techniques in unique transgenic animal models and cell culture, including human iPS cells.
A successful candidate will bring specific skills and knowledge critical to the lab’s research focus. These skills include, but are not limited to, experience with rodent colony handling and experiments, molecular biology and cell culture techniques. Experience in lipid biochemistry is preferred, but not critical. It is expected that a successful candidate has a substantial level of independence to write manuscripts and help develop grant applications with minimal supervision.
The successful candidate will benefit from a highly stimulating and collaborative research environment, and an organized training plan to propel their future career goals. There are ample opportunities for scientific growth, career enhancement, and development into an independent investigator in academia, industry, or other career paths. Although the projects are currently funded by NIH, an integral part of postdoctoral training is the process of preparing a research proposal and writing a fellowship application, so postdocs are encouraged to apply for external funding when possible. Qualified candidates will also be eligible to apply to other University of Kentucky awarded T32 training programs.
The Department of Physiology ( https://medicine.uky.edu/departments/physiology/) is on the same local medical center campus facilitating many potential networking and collaborative interactions. The Sanders Brown Center on Aging ( https://medicine.uky.edu/centers/sbcoa) includes the NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Center that provides access to world-class translational resources to support innovative research (e.g. longitudinally followed and well-characterized clinical cohorts, neuroimaging, biomarkers, autopsy specimens). Postdocs can also collaborate with a number of other centers at the university that facilitate neuroscience research, including the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center ( https://medicine.uky.edu/centers/scobirc), the Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center ( https://www.research.uky.edu/magnetic-resonance-imaging-and-spectroscopy-center), the Center for Clinical and Translational Science ( https://www.ccts.uky.edu/), and the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, to name a few.
We are committed to providing an inclusive, supportive, and collegial environment for lab members to develop the skills required to meet their individual career goals and propel them towards their next venture in life.
To view our exceptional benefits, please visit: https://www.uky.edu/hr/benefits.
Items to include as part of the application system:
CV, cover letter with a brief statement of research experience and career goals, and contact information for three references.
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