Postdoctoral position in molecular neuroscience project A - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

The Department of Molecular Biology seeks a postdoctoral scientist for the project ”Role of gene silencing for maintenance of neuronal identity”. The position is full-time for two years with access as soon as possible or by agreement.

Project description and work responsibilities

It is not known how stable silencing of alternative gene programs is maintained once a neuronal identity has been established. This project aims to understand fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying maintenance of differentiated serotonergic and dopaminergic neuronal identity and function. Both cell types are involved in several psychiatric disorders which take a huge toll on individuals and society. In addition, midbrain dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta constitute the key population whose degeneration is associated with Parkinson’s disease, further underscoring the clinical significance of the project.

Work tasks will include but not be limited to designing, performing and analyzing experiments in collaboration with the supervisor. The post-doc will perform experiments with animals, cells and in vitro to address the role of long-term transcriptional repression for maintaining cellular identity and function in differentiated dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons of the CNS. The applicant is expected to exhibit a high level of autonomy and be able to independently and responsibly address the scientific questions of the project.

See:

Toskas, K., Yaghmaeian-Salmani, B., J., Skiteva, O., Paslawski, W., Gilberg, L., Skara, V., Antoniou, I., Södersten, E., Svenningsson, P., Chergui, K., Ringnér, M., Perlmann, T, and Holmberg, J. (2022). PRC2-mediated repression is essential to maintain identity and function of differentiated dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons bioRxiv 2022
https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.24.477226

Södersten, E., Toskas, K., Rraklli, V., Tiklova, K., Björklund, Å., Ringnér, M., Perlmann, T. and Holmberg, J. (2018). A comprehensive map coupling histone modifications with gene regulation in adult dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons. Nat Commun. 2018 Mar 26;9(1):1226 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03538-9

Holmberg, J. and Perlmann, T. (2012). Maintaining differentiated cell identities. Nature Review Genetics, 13(6), 429-439. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3209

Eligibility

A person who has been awarded a doctorate or a foreign qualification deemed to be the equivalent of a doctorate in life sciences (e.g., biology, biochemistry, medicine or biomedicine) is eligible for appointment as postdoctoral researcher. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time at which the appointment decision is made.

Previous experience involving animal experiments, cells, standard molecular biology methods, fluorescent activated sorting of nuclei, cDNA library preparation, chromatin extraction, single cell RNA-sequencing analysis, confocal microscopy, imaging and bioinformatical analysis is required.

A documented valid course in animal experimental procedures is required.

The high complexity of the project demands that the applicant has the proper problem-solving skills. You should be highly motivated and able to work productively in a team as well as independently. Excellent communication skills are required. Proficiency in written and spoken English also required. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

Additional useful qualifications

Since appointment as a postdoctoral researcher is a career-development position for junior researchers, we are primarily interested in applicants who completed their doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline. If there are special reasons, an applicant who has completed their degree earlier than that may be considered. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, clinical practice, appointments of trust for a trade union organisation or other similar circumstances, and for relevant duties/assignments within the subject area.

Documented experience of bioinformatical analysis, transgenic mice, stereotactic injections, viral vectors and animal behavioural experiments is considered a great advantage.

More information about the position

The appointment is a full-time, fixed-term position two years in accordance with the terms of contract for fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral researcher. The access should be as soon as possible or by agreement.

Application

The application is made through our electronic recruitment system and must be received latest 2022-10-01. The application must be written in Swedish or English. A full application should include:

• An introductory letter including a 2-page statement of research interests relative to the above topics and a motivation of why your expertise is appropriate for the position.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list,
• Certified copy of doctoral degree certificate,
• Certified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic cources and grades,
• Copy of doctoral thesis and relevant scientific papers,
• Contact information for at least two reference persons,
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.

We look forward to receiving your application!

More about us

For more information please visit: https://www.umu.se/en/research/groups/johan-holmberg/