Position Details

Position Information

Recruitment/Posting Title	Postdoctoral Fellow
Job Category	Staff & Executive - Research (Laboratory/Non-Laboratory)
Department	RWJ-Dept of Neurology
Overview	New Jersey’s academic health center, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) takes an integrated approach to educating students, providing clinical care, and conducting research, all with the goal of improving human health. Aligned with Rutgers University–New Brunswick and collaborating university wide, RBHS includes eight schools, a behavioral health network, and five centers and institutes that focus on cancer treatment and research, neuroscience, advanced biotechnology and medicine, environmental and occupational health, and health care policy and aging research. Our faculty are teachers, clinicians, and scientists with unparalleled experience who advance medical innovation and provide patient care informed by the latest research findings. We offer an outstanding education in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, nursing, biomedical research, and the full spectrum of allied health careers. Our clinical and academic facilities are located throughout the state—at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, including Piscataway; and at locations in Newark, Scotch Plains, Somerset, Stratford, and other locations. Clinical partners include Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Newark’s University Hospital in Newark, and other affiliates. Through this community of healers, scientists, and scholars, Rutgers is equipped as never before to transform lives.
Posting Summary	Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is seeking a Post Doctoral Fellow for the Department of Neurology within Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The mission of the lab is to follow a network-based approach to understand the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (mainly Parkinson’s disease and secondarily Alzheimer’s disease), with the ultimate aim being to utilize this strategy to develop combination treatments. This strategy distinguishes our lab from a decades-long tradition in the field of zeroing in on specific genes and focusing on the development of monotherapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Simultaneously, the lab aspires to remain at the cutting edge in terms of cellular and molecular biology techniques and to advance the neurodegeneration field by developing innovative tools and technologies that we will share with the research community. To achieve those goals, we are currently using mammalian cell lines (including stable cell lines) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) as model systems, as well as human brain tissue. In the future, and as our research program advances, we will expand our toolkit to also include mouse work and computational analyses of large -omics datasets. Some of the techniques we use include standard cell and molecular biology techniques, flow cytometry, microscopy (standard imaging and FRET, FLIM, FRAP), high throughput genetic and chemical screens, single cell and spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, genomics, optogenetics and histology. Lab website: eleannakaralab.com Under the direction of the Principal Investigator, the incumbent will work on a project as a post-doctoral fellow in a laboratory dedicated to studying the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease, identifying therapeutic targets and testing new therapeutic agents. S/He will work in a new lab as part of a highly integrated research team utilizing a variety of laboratory technologies and approaches. Specialized skills in molecular/cellular biology and iPSc-neurons studies are preferred but not required for this position. The most important attribute of new recruits is demonstrable interest in the type of research we do, as demonstrated at interview, and ability to undertake rigorous and high quality research, as evidenced by their achievements and credentials. Individuals looking to change research direction for their postdoc are welcome to apply. Appropriate training will be provided to recruits. Among the key duties of this position are the follwoing: Carry out studies with cultured cell lines and iPSc derived neurons. Optimize assays to model and study specific disease processes of neurodegenerative diseases and miniaturize them to enable high throughput screens. Perform high throughput genetic and chemical screens. Perform proteomics, lipidomics, genomics and transcriptomics analyses, In collaboration with core facilities at Rutgers. Undertake histology, genetics and biochemistry experiments on human neuropathological materials. Perform molecular biology experiments that involve cloning of specific cDNAs in various vectors including viral vectors, PCR, sequence analyses, transcription assays, Western blotting, DNA-protein interaction, and cell biologic studies. Supervise junior members of the lab (undergraduate students, technicians, Master’s and PhD students). Analyze data, organize them and present them at laboratory meetings and major scientific meetings.
Position Status	Full Time
Hours Per Week
Daily Work Shift
Work Arrangement
FLSA	Exempt
Grade	99S
Position Salary
Annual Minimum Salary
Annual Mid Range Salary
Annual Maximum Salary
Standard Hours	37.50
Union Description	Non-Union
Payroll Designation	PeopleSoft
Benefits	Rutgers offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. For details, please go to http://uhr.rutgers.edu/benefits/benefits-overview . Rutgers also offers a benefit program to eligible full-time postdoctoral fellow students. For details, please go to https://finance.rutgers.edu/healthcare-risk/insurance/postdoctoral-health-insurance.
Seniority Unit
Terms of Appointment	Staff - 12 month
Position Pension Eligibility	None

Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience	A PhD or MD/PhD degree in Neuroscience, Neurobiology, Molecular Biology, or a relevant science. Candidates in all-but-degree (ABD) status will also be considered.
Certifications/Licenses
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities	To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily; however, appropriate training will be provided as needed, and Rutgers has multiple core facilities with expertise in some of the lab’s techniques and can assist as necessary. Operate standard laboratory equipment such as centrifuges, culture hoods, incubators, PCR machines, shaking incubators and plate readers. Demonstrate a record of productivity with scholarly, peer-reviewed publications.
Preferred Qualifications	The incumbent should preferably, but not necessarily, have training and experience in molecular and cellular neurobiology including DNA/RNA extraction, qPCR, Gel electrophoresis, iPSc-neurons, Fluorescence and Confocal microscopy and associated imaging analysis and Western blotting. Coding skills in python or MATLAB.
Equipment Utilized
Physical Demands and Work Environment	The incumbent needs to be physically capable of performing the above duties, including pipetting, measuring weights and volumes accurately, standing on feet and walking to other buildings on the campus. Some core facilities, including 10x Genomics instruments and Amnis ImageStream X flow cytometer are located at the Rutgers Newark campus; it is anticipated that those instruments will be used occasionally in our projects, in which case half or whole day trips would be expected. Associated travel expenses will be funded by the lab. Occasionally, certain heavy items in the laboratory may need to be lifted, such as small equipment, boxes and bottles. H/She should communicate his/her research plans and findings verbally and in writing in proper English to the team and to the scientific community in presentations and publications.
Special Conditions

Posting Details

Posting Number	23ST1554
Posting Open Date
Special Instructions to Applicants
Regional Campus	Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS)
Home Location Campus	Downtown New Brunswick
City	New Brunswick
State	NJ
Location Details

Pre-employment Screenings

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings.

Immunization Requirements

Under Policy 60.1.35 Immunization Policy for Rutgers Employees and Prospective Employees , Rutgers University requires all prospective employees to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated and have received a booster (where eligible) against COVID-19 prior to commencement of employment, unless the University has granted the individual a medical or religious exemption. Employees who are not eligible for a booster at the time of an offer of employment must provide proof they have received a booster upon eligibility and upload proof of same. Under Policy 100.3.1 Immunization Policy for Covered Individuals , if employment will commence during Flu Season, Rutgers University may require certain prospective employees to provide proof that they are vaccinated against Seasonal Influenza for the current Flu Season, unless the University has granted the individual a medical or religious exemption. Additional infection control and safety policies may apply. Prospective employees should speak with their hiring manager to determine which policies apply to the role or position for which they are applying. Failure to provide proof of vaccination for any required vaccines or obtain a medical or religious exemption from the University will result in rescission of a candidate’s offer of employment or disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we value diversity of background and opinion, and prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected class in the areas of hiring, recruitment, promotion, transfer, demotion, training, compensation, pay, fringe benefits, layoff, termination or any other terms and conditions of employment. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement