Job Title

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Shetty Lab

Agency

Texas A&M University Health Science Center

Department

Molecular And Cellular Medicine

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

Bryan, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

What we believe

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.  Diverse perspectives, talents and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values .

Who we are

As one of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the nation, the Texas A&M University Health Science Center encompasses five colleges and numerous centers and institutes working together to improve health through transformative education, innovative research and team-based health care delivery.

What we want

The Health Science Center (HSC) is looking for an Postdoctoral Research Associate for Dr. Ashok Shetty's lab to serve as a member of the Cell Biology and Genetics team. The Postdoctoral Research Associate, under general supervision, will be responsible for culturing human induced pluripotent stem cells, directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into neural stem cells, neurons, microglia and astrocytes, isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles shed by stem cells or their progeny, in vitro assays, biochemical and molecular biological assays, data collection and interpretation and manuscript writing.  Additional duties include intranasal administration of extracellular vesicles in animal models of aging, traumatic brain injury, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease and characterization of therapeutic benefits through behavioral, histological, biochemical and molecular biological measures. The successful applicant will bring an expert level of research experience to the position and understand the demands of supporting executives in a fast-paced environment. This person must be professional, enjoy working in a high-volume environment and be able to apply strong organizational skills while being flexible in their daily routine. We desire an individual who subscribes to and supports our commitment as stated above. If this is you, we invite you to apply to become a member of our team!

What you need to know

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate to selected hire’s experience.

Position Details: This position is grant funded; future employment may be contingent upon future funding.

Special Note: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended. You may upload them on the application under the CV/Resume section.

Required Education:

• Appropriate doctoral degree

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expertise in cell cultures, stem cell expansion and characterization, isolation of extracellular vesicles from the spent media, immunohistochemistry, biochemical and molecular biological assays, animal modeling of human diseases, neurobehavioral studies and flow cytometry

• Extensive expertise for culturing human cells in BL-2 laboratory In vitro functional assays

• Biochemical and molecular biological assays

• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others

Preferred Education and Experience:

• PhD in Biochemistry, Neuroscience or Biotechnology

• 2-3 years of expertise in cell culture techniques, isolation of extracellular vesicles from stem cell cultures, immunohistochemistry, characterization of extracellular vesicles through biochemical and molecular biological assays, and animal modeling of human diseases

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expansion of human mesenchymal stem cells

• Isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles from spent culture media

• Animal modeling of human diseases

Responsibilities:

• Animal Model Studies - Administer EVs intranasally to animal models (rat or mouse models) of Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, chronic neuroinflammation, Parkinson’s disease, and Gulf War Illness. Measure the effects of EV treatment on cognitive, mood and motor function in these animal models. 

• Brain Tissue Studies - Measure of therapeutic effects of intranasal EV treatment in animal models of disease using brain tissue analysis. This will involve immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence, ELISA, WB and qPCR studies on brain tissue samples to measure the expression of various proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs.

• Cell Culture Studies - Culture and expand human mesenchymal stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells. Differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells into mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells, neurons, astrocytes and microglia.

• Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) from Stem Cells and Stem Cell- derived Progeny - Isolate EVs from spent culture media using anion exchange chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. Characterize the number and size of EVs using NanoSight, markers of EVs using ELISA and Western blots and morphology using electron microscopy.

• Analyses and interpretation of data and Manuscript writing - Analyze and interpret data with appropriate statistical analysis, prepare data and figures and write manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

• Tracking neuroinflammatory markers through analysis of blood - Isolate brain-derived extracellular vesicles from the blood of animal models of disease and patients, characterize neuron-derived and astrocyte-derived EVs for their composition using ELISA, WB, qPCR, and small RNA sequencing. Perform other duties as assigned.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.