Postdoctoral positions to study the role of glia in neurodegenerative disease

The Milbrandt laboratory invites mature, highly motivated candidates to apply for positions as postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis. These fellows will explore the role of glia in maintaining axon and synapse integrity. We are interested in how Schwann cells provide metabolic support to the axon; particularly with regard to the non-myelinating and terminal Schwann cells. Mice with mutations that perturb glial metabolism, high-throughput neuron-Schwann cell co-cultures, and Cas9 screening techniques will be used to study axon dynamics in response to disruption of glial metabolism, such as occurs in diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. This project is funded by a grant from the NIH.

Multiple full-time positions are available immediately and are funded for three years, with the possibility of extension.

Ideal applicants will have:

1. a PhD or MD/PhD in biological sciences or related fields,
2. experience in molecular biology, genomics or neuroscience,
3. good spoken and written communication skills, and
4. the ability to travel to St. Louis for interviews without a visa application.

How to apply:
Applicants should email a single PDF file consisting of a letter of interest and CV, and should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to Dr. Jeff Milbrandt (jmilbrandt@wustl.edu).

Postdoctoral positions to study mitochondrial dysfunction and neurometabolic axon/glia interactions in ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders (Job ID JR66978)

We invite highly motivated candidates to apply for positions as postdoctoral fellows in the laboratory of Dr. Jeff Milbrandt in the Department of Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis. Our primary goal is to unravel the mechanism of axon degeneration and its role in neurodegenerative disease.  Many of our projects are pursued collaboratively with the Aaron DiAntonio lab and focus on how defects in NAD homeostasis alter disease progression in peripheral neuropathy, ALS and retinal degenerative disorders. One set of studies is aimed at determining how the NADase activity of the TIR domain protein SARM1 is regulated and how its activity influences downstream signaling pathways that control axon maintenance. Another area of interest focuses on motor neuron abnormalities that occur in ALS and in peripheral neuropathy. In particular, we are interested in the unique metabolic vulnerability of motor axons and how metabolic deficits and mitochondrial dysfunction in Schwann cells contribute to motor neuron diseases. We are also pursuing studies to define the cellular composition of peripheral nerves, particularly the microglial-like cells that contribute to nerve homeostasis as well as disease progression. These projects utilize a wide breadth of technologies from single cell sequencing to mass spectrometry to high throughput, quantitative imaging.  In addition, we use human genetics, AAV viral therapies, and disease models including mutant mice and iPSC-derived neurons to further understand neurodegenerative processes.  These projects are funded by multiple grants from the NIH.

Full-time positions are available immediately and are funded for up to three years, with the possibility of extension.

Ideal applicants will have:

1. a PhD or MD/PhD in biological sciences or related fields,
2. experience in molecular biology, neuroscience or genomics,
3. good spoken and written communication skills, and
4. the ability to travel to St. Louis for interviews without a visa application.

How to apply:
Applications should be submitted via the Washington University jobs portal.  Questions should be directed to Dr. Jeff Milbrandt at axonal@old.genetics.wustl.edu.

Postdoctoral positions in Precision Neurology focused on analyzing disease-associated genetic variants using quantitative imaging, metabolomics and single cell genomics(Job ID #JR66980)

The laboratories of Drs. Jeff Milbrandt and Rob Mitra invite highly motivated candidates to apply for positions as joint postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Genetics and McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. These fellows will develop research programs in Personalized Medicine aimed at revealing the pathogenic mechanisms of disease-associated variants via monitoring phenotypic changes of genetically perturbed iPSC-derived neurons and glia. Our collaborative, multidisciplinary group studies the mechanistic basis of genetic abnormalities that result in neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative disorders, with particular emphasis on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic deficits in disease progression. To address these questions, we use a novel multi-omics approach that integrates high-throughput imaging and machine learning methods with CRISPR/Cas9 screens and saturation mutagenesis to answer central questions about the pathophysiology that results from genetic mutations in mitochondrial proteins, chromatin regulators, and metabolic enzymes. We interpret our experiments in the context of curated clinical phenotypes and validate key findings using banked patient samples.  Multiple full-time positions are available immediately and are funded for up to three years, with the possibility of extension.

Ideal applicants will have:

1. a PhD or MD/PhD in biological sciences or related fields,
2. experience in molecular biology or genomics,
3. programming skills (Python and R preferred),
4. good spoken and written communication skills, and
5. the ability to travel to St. Louis for interviews without a visa application.

How to apply:
Applications should be submitted via the Washington University jobs portal.  Questions should be directed to Drs. Jeff Milbrandt and Rob Mitra at MorphNSort@old.genetics.wustl.edu.

Postdoctoral positions to understand the molecular basis of transcription factor cooperativity and function

The laboratory of Rob Mitra invites mature, highly motivated candidates to apply for positions as postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis. These fellows will seek to understand how different members of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family achieve their specificities. Our research to date suggests that complex cooperative interactions with other transcription factors play a major role in determining this specificity, and fellows will seek to characterize these interactions and understand the fundamental principles that underlie this phenomenon. Experiments will be performed in mammalian and yeast cells.

Multiple full-time positions are available immediately and are funded for three years, with the possibility of extension.

Ideal applicants will have:

1. a PhD or MD/PhD in biological sciences or related fields,
2. experience in molecular biology, genomics, or yeast genetics,
3. programming skills (Python and R preferred),
4. good spoken and written communication skills, and
5. the ability to travel to St. Louis for interviews without a visa application.

How to apply:
Applicants should email a single PDF file consisting of a letter of interest and CV, and should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to Dr. Rob Mitra (rmitra@wustl.edu).

Postdoctoral positions to develop an inducible molecular memory system to record transient states of CNS cells

The laboratories of Rob Mitra and Joe Dougherty invite mature, highly motivated candidates to apply for positions as joint postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis. These fellows will develop and apply methods based on the novel ‘Calling Cards’ technology that is able to record the genome-wide interactions of any DNA-binding protein (e.g. a specific transcription factor, or a general transcriptional mediator), creating a permanent molecular memory of all binding events that occur at a given moment or epoch. This technology allows transient molecular interactions to be captured non-destructively, during a controlled window in time, and then read out at a later point in time. This methodology has been developed in vitro, and successful applicants will adapt the technology for use in the brain to provide the community with a versatile toolbox that can be applied to a number of outstanding problems.

Multiple full-time positions are available immediately and are funded for three years, with the possibility of extension.

Ideal applicants will have:

1. a PhD or MD/PhD in biological sciences or related fields,
2. experience in molecular biology or genomics,
3. programming skills (Python and R preferred),
4. good spoken and written communication skills, and
5. the ability to travel to St Louis for interviews without visa application.

How to apply:
Applicants should email a single PDF file consisting of a letter of interest and CV, and should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to Drs. Rob Mitra (rmitra@wustl.edu) and Joe Dougherty (jdougherty@wustl.edu).

Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Department of Genetics is at the forefront of the rapidly developing field known as Genomic (or Personalized) Medicine, in which genetic and epigenetic analysis coupled with clinical information enables treatments to be tailored specifically to the individual patient. The rapid evolution of sequencing technologies, automated cellular imaging, and mass spectrometry methods to rapidly perform proteomic and metabolomics studies, coupled with powerful computational tools, is revolutionizing the biological sciences. Investigators in the department are developing new methods of genomic analysis including technology and software development, epigenomics, and copy number variation as well as studies of disease pathways using model organisms, to identify and study genes responsible for human disease and treatment responses. The department supports a broad program of preclinical and graduate instruction in genetics, with research opportunities ranging from studies of transcriptional networks, population genetics, protein evolution, neurological disorders, developmental genetics, models of human disease, genome architecture, statistical genetics and computational biology, genome technologies, and infertility. We are seeking outstanding young scientists to join our team.

Model organism genetics:
Susan Dutcher (dutcher@wustl.edu): study cilia assembly using genomics, cell biology, and single particle cryo-electron microscopy to obtain precision-based interactions in these key organelles
Tim Schedl (ts@wustl.edu): germ cell development in C. elegans

Genomics:
Barak Cohen (cohen@wustl.edu): regulatory genomics
Jeff Milbrandt (jmilbrandt@wustl.edu): metabolic control of axonal/glial interactions
Rob Mitra (rmitra@wustl.edu): technology development for systems biology
Samantha Morris (s.morris@wustl.edu): single cell sequencing and cell fate regulatory networks
Gary Stormo (stormo@wustl.edu): computational biology of DNA
Ting Wang (twang@wustl.edu): epigenomics and computational biology

Statistical Genomics:
Michael A. Province (mprovince@wustl.edu): statistical methods, complex modeling, study design, complex traits
Nancy Saccone (nlims@wustl.edu): complex diseases, quantitative methods

How to apply:
Applicants should email a single PDF file consisting of a letter of interest and CV, and the names and contact information of three referees to one of the faculty members listed here.

Information on being a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis can be found here.

About Washington University: Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) has a rich history of success in research, education and patient care, earning it a reputation as one of the premier medical schools in the world. The University is internationally known for studies in genetics, neuroscience, and addiction.

EOE: Washington University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.