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Recruitment Period

Open Date: July 8, 2024

Initial Review Date: July 23, 2024- Apply by July 23, 2024 (11:59 p.m.) to be considered in the first round of applicants. All applicants received will be released to the Search Committee the following day. More review dates will continue to be added if the position is not filled.

Description

The Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, seeks to hire employee as a Junior Specialist in the Dickson lab. This position will be involved in interdisciplinary studies focusing on questions related to the cell biology of neuronal development and degeneration.

Major Responsibilities and Designated Areas of Expertise

The Junior Specialist has the general duties of working closely with the Principal Investigator (PI) in the planning and execution of research projects. The junior specialist may assist in data collection, entry and quality control, study design and implementation, literature reviews and data analysis for preparation of manuscripts or conference presentations, and writing conference abstracts and manuscripts (e.g., methods and results sections, table, and and figure generation) for a particular project.

The incumbent will work under the supervision of Associate Professor Eamonn Dickson and work cooperatively and collegially in a diverse environment.

Successful candidates are expected to participate in three major categories of activities listed below:

1. Research (90% EFFORT)
   The incumbent will collaborate with other research personnel affiliated with research activities involving the role of membrane contact sites and lipids in neurodegenerative disease progression. The junior specialist will assist the PI and support the laboratory research in multiple ways, including aiding in the preparation brain slices from small animals (mice), preparing neuronal cultures from small animals (mice) according to approved protocols for use in experiments; maintenance of cultured cell lines; recombinant protein transfection, multi-plexed immunolabeling, and assay-appropriate analysis. General responsibilities also include active and significant participation in publishable research activities. The candidate will contribute to data collection, analysis, and putting together graphical representations of data for scholarly manuscripts as well as participating in writing, editing, and reviewing the manuscript. Candidates will review relevant journal articles and participate in scientific discussions in both the lab setting and more formal venues such as the weekly journal club and lab meeting, the monthly departmental science in progress talks, and when appropriate local national and international scientific meetings such as the society for Neuroscience and the American society for cell biology meetings.
2. Professional Competence and Activity (5% EFFORT)
   The candidate will be encouraged to participate in weekly lab meetings, attend weekly seminars/conferences, and contribute towards weekly journal clubs and other activities, as applicable within the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology.
3. University and Public Service (5% EFFORT)
   The Junior Specialist may be expected to provide mentorship to undergraduate research assistants that rotate through the lab. They will be expected to participate and contribute to laboratory and group meetings, and other activities, as applicable.

This recruitment is conducted at the junior rank. The resulting hire will be at the junior rank regardless of the proposed appointee’s qualifications.

A reasonable estimate for this position is $53,100 at step 1, or $56,600 at step 2.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biomedical science. Degree must be awarded before start date.
• Minimum 1 year experience in laboratory and/or field research
• Expertise in generate brain slices from small animals (mice)
• Expertise in generating isolated neuronal cultures
• Expertise in immunolabeling of animals’ brain slices and isolated neurons
• Expertise in culturing of human cells
• Experience preparing cDNA
• Experience with transfection of human cell lines and neurons for experiments
• Expertise in confocal and TIRF imaging.
• Expertise with ImageJ/FIJI, GraphPad Prism, and Adobe Illustrator for analysis and preparation of figures.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to work well independently and as part of a team.

To Apply

To apply, please go to the following link: JPF06591. This position will remain open until filled.

Qualified applicants should submit:

• Cover letter detailing their qualification for this position
• CV
• Unofficial Transcripts
• Contact information for 3 references

Daniah Beleford’s lab, within the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Davis, is recruiting for a postdoctoral scholar to participate in both basic and translational vascular biology research. Successful candidates will enjoy a supportive, diverse, and stimulating laboratory and departmental environment, filled with lots of collaboration, cutting-edge instrumentation and facilities, and a strong culture of training and mentorship.

The Beleford Lab studies underlying changes in molecular signaling that cause vascular malformations (abnormal development of blood vessels) in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia and other genetic vascular conditions. Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare Mendelian vascular condition that is characterized by arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), direct connections between arteries and veins without intervening capillary beds. It has previously been shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms within the genetic modifier PTPN14 (protein tyrosine phosphatase, nonreceptor, 14) associate with pulmonary AVMs in two large HHT cohorts. Our preliminary data suggest that the PTPN14 gene product binds and stabilizes BMP9 signaling components in endothelial cells, inhibiting ubiquitin-mediated protein turnover and promoting vascular stability. The Beleford Lab seeks to clarify the molecular interplay between PTPN14 and BMP9, TGFβ, and HIPPO signaling pathway components with the goal of understanding what causes the loss of vascular integrity in HHT and other severe vascular conditions in order to ultimately tailor targeted therapeutic interventions. Competitive applicants will be skilled in basic molecular and cell biology laboratory techniques as well as in mouse handling, crosses and care. The lab uses techniques such as DNA and protein electrophoresis, PCR, immunohisto- and cytochemistry, co-immunoprecipitation, proximity ligation assay.

Work/life Balance

UC Davis is a supportive, diverse, and collaborative community, ideally situated in the sunny Sacramento Valley between beautiful Lake Tahoe for winter skiing and summer beaches, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a Ph.D. and/or M.D., D.O., M.B.B.S. degree and should have a demonstrated background in basic molecular and cell biology techniques as above. Additional training in basic genetics and genomics, including in the interpretation of genetic sequencing data, is helpful.

Successful applicants will be expected to stay abreast of current literature in the field, design and execute experiments, assist in the collection of data for grant applications, and to prepare their results for presentation at national and international scientific conferences and for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Successful applicants will also be expected to mentor graduate and undergraduate students, including hands-on teaching at the bench and in the vivarium. The ability to work independently with minimal supervision is also crucial.

Salary

The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See Table 23: Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee, Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellow, Postdoctoral Scholar-Paid Direct, Fiscal Year. The salary range for this position is $64,480 – $69,342. “Off-scale salaries”, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should email the following items to Dr. Daniah Beleford at dbeleford@ucdavis.edu.

• CV/Biosketch
• Cover letter expressing your interest in the position
• Minimum of 3 professional references (Name and Email Address)