Post-Doctoral Fellow - School of Medicine, Neurology

Advertising Summary Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for our generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life‑insurance, short and long‑term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax‑deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid time off, 12 paid holidays, and more. Explore our benefits further here: Unit School Of Medicine MBU Department Neurology Department Summary The Department of Neurology has a talented, robust team of faculty and staff members spanning nine divisions. The divisions include representatives from every neurology subspecialty in adult and child neurology, plus award-winning educators, clinical and translational neuroscientists, and master clinicians. The Center for Inherited Myology Research is a multi-disciplinary translational research group focused on understanding and developing genetic therapies for muscular dystrophy. The Johnson and Carrell labs are specifically interested in the genetics of myotonic dystrophy and gene therapy for limb girdle muscular dystrophy. Post‑doctoral fellows will perform mechanistic laboratory research using in vitro and in vivo models of muscular dystrophy. Scientists will be expected to generate the resources, plan, execute, analyze, and troubleshoot experiments aimed to address hypotheses with standard laboratory techniques used in researching genetic disorders. These techniques include genetic model development, molecular cloning, standard measurements of DNA, RNA, and protein, cell culture, and working with mouse models (behavioral assays). Scientists will also be expected to work within a team structure of the Center for Inherited Myology research in the Johnson and Carrell labs. This will involve communication with the faculty, technicians, and other trainee scientists about their work, teaching or overseeing laboratory staff, and presenting their work in internal meetings. Fellows will be given the opportunity to present their work at conferences once sufficiently completed. Duties & Responsibilities Laboratory work (70%) Maintain, characterize, and genetically engineer patient‑derived cells Develop and validate novel assays to quantify disease severity Establish cell culture SOPs Provide technical support for ongoing mouse studies (behavioral assays, tissue processing and analysis) Maintain a reliable notebook of experiments, approach, and data analysis Scientific mentoring (15%) Work with lab technicians and graduate students in the lab Attend and contribute in lab meetings and/or journal clubs Scientific communication and career development (15%) Present work at regular internal lab meetings Submit abstracts and present work at national and international meetings Submit or help to write, edit, or contribute to grant proposals Qualifications Minimum Qualifications PhD in genetics, molecular biology, or a similar area Experience (2–3 years) with cellular modeling including immortalized and primary culturing, genetic disease modeling, flow cytometry, lentiviral applications, genetic/drug screens, CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis Experience (2–3 years) with cell and tissue microscopy (IF, IHC) Interest in basic and translational work performed in a team environment Ability to apply basic laboratory techniques to new applications (Western blot, PCR, RNA analysis) Independent and creative problem‑solving skills Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a postdoctoral fellow at VCU Preferred Qualifications Demonstrated productivity through publications and grant applications Experience (2–3 years) with mouse handling (husbandry, basic behavioral assays) and tissue harvesting Salary Range $62,652 - $67,000 Benefits All VCU employee types are eligible for a wide array of benefits to support you during your employment at VCU. Consult the benefits website for information on benefits eligibility according to employee type. FLSA Exemption Status Exempt Hours per Week 40 ORP Eligible Yes Flexible Work Arrangement Hybrid Contact Information Contact Name: Eric Hunsley Contact Email: View email address on click.appcast.io #J-18808-Ljbffr Virginia Commonwealth University