Postdoctoral Research Associate - Kirchner Lab

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Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all pers p ectives, talents & lived experience s . Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service .

Who we are

As one of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the nation, Texas A&M Health 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 Postdoctoral Research Associate, under general supervision, is responsible for conducting research into their field of expertise. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will utilize the skills and expertise granted to them by their education and experience to complete research projects in their field of expertise. Writes and may contribute to research papers, articles, and publications. Assists with the preparation and cleaning of worksite. May collaborate with other researchers and/or faculty both within and outside of Texas A&M. The Kirchner Laboratory is a new lab in the Department of Medical Physiology at Texas A&M College of Medicine.

What you need to know

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate based on the selected hires education and experience.

Special Instructions: A cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references (to include at least one previous supervisor) are strongly recommended. You may upload all three on the application under CV/Resume or upon answering the questionnaire you may attach the documents.

Schedule: May have to work on the weekend and/or after normal hours.

Other: May travel as required.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience:

• Appropriate PhD in neuroscience, neurophysiology, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise in software /data analysis such as: pCLAMP, ImageJ, MatLab

• Experience using Igor Pro, SigmaPlot, OriginLab, Imaris, Prism, and/or Adobe Illustrator

• Experience in the following:

• Brain slice electrophysiology:

  • Prepping solutions for recordings, cutting live brain slices on a vibratome, and performing voltage and current clamp recordings in neurons.

  • Using optogenetics, photolytic uncaging, chemogenetics, fluorescent biosensors, electrical stimulation, and application of pharmacologic compounds during patch clamp experiments.

  • Maintaining the electrophysiology rig, keeping accurate records of experiments, performing data analysis, and creating figures for publications and grants.

• Calcium imaging:

  • Utilizing calcium dyes or genetically encoded calcium sensors (i.e. GCaMP) to measure and quantify intracellular calcium levels in a live brain slice preparation.

  • Performing these experiments simultaneously with patch clamp.

• Rodent survival surgery:

  • Stereotaxic delivery of AAVs encoding fluorescent tracers, DREADDs or opsins to be used in electrophysiology experiments.

  • Coronary ligation (heart failure surgery) for studying the disease in electrophysiology experiments.

• Immunohistochemistry (IHC)

  • Transcardial perfusion, fixation, cryostat sectioning, staining, and mounting tissue specimens.

  • Visualization and analysis of IHC imaging data

• Multiunit electrophysiological experiments, particularly using Neuropixels

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written skills.

• Presentation skills.

• Analytical skills.

• Attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Research

• Perform patch clamp electrophysiology, calcium imaging, rodent survival surgery, and immunohistochemistry to study the neurophysiology of vasopressin and oxytocin neurosecretory neurons, their role in hydromineral balance, and their dysfunction in a rat model of heart failure.

• Under general supervision, is responsible for conducting research into their field of expertise.

• Utilizes knowledge and skills granted to them by their education and expertise to complete research projects in their field of expertise.

• Assists with the preparation and cleaning of worksite.

• Analyzes research data and summarizes results.

Mentoring

• May assist, mentor, and/or supervise student researchers and/or graduate students who are working on research related to the project.

• Train laboratory members on the various research techniques.

Presentations

• Prepares presentation materials on research topic that may be presented to small and/or large groups.

• Actively participates in the preparation of required technical progress reports to research sponsors.

Professional Development

• Apply for career-appropriate grants and fellowships under the guidance of the PI.

• Travels to scientific conferences to give presentations.

• Attend weekly Medical Physiology Seminar Series and meet with guest lectures

• Utilizes summarized results in scientific and/or clientele-oriented publications.

• Writes and may contribute to research papers, articles, and publications.

Why Texas A&M University?

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration. Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you. Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts , and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more

• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

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 institutions verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institutions procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.