Job description: Search for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA in the laboratory of Professor Anna Spagnoli. The postdoctoral research fellow performs molecular, cell and biochemistry work and experiments utilizing advanced degrees of technical proficiency. Designs and initiates complex scientific research experiments at a high level of proficiency with minimal supervision within a translational research laboratory that studies bone and cartilage diseases, diabetes and obesity. Evaluates data, prepares final reports, and presents at local and national meetings based on results. The selected candidate will gain experience in a number of cutting edge molecular and cellular biological techniques, tissue engineering, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, nanoparticles for protein/drug delivery, and in vivo and post mortem animal imaging to be applied to bone, cartilage and metbaolic research. Laboratory projects have great potential to become independent research projects that would further ambitious, motivated postdoctoral careers.
About the Principal Investigator/Supervisor: Professor Anna Spagnoli has over 20 years of research experience in bone, cartilage and diabetes fields. Her research focuses on discovering the ability of growth factors to control adult stem cells for tissue regeneration, and understanding the mechanisms of tissue development to empower the regenerative responses during the tissue repairing process. Her studies, by simultaneously looking at stem cell biology and tissue development, have represented a unique opportunity to discover and fully optimize the clinical use of stem cells in bone and cartilage diseases and the interface between bone/fat/glucose metabolisms. Dr. Spagnoli has extensively published in this field including in Science Translational Medicine, Developmental CELL, Obesity Surgery, Endocrinology, Journal of Cell Biology, Stem Cells, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Her research has been consistently funded by NIH and numerous other agencies and foundations, totaling over $25 million of funds. Dr. Spagnoli has mentored over thirty graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty members.
Principal Highlights and Responsibilities: Performs basic and translational research in bone, cartilage and metabolic research with the highest ethics in research. * Maintains accurate record of data and protocols. *Analyzes and reports research data at meetings and in publications. * Has the opportunity to write intramural and extramural grants. * Assists in the preparation of manuscripts and grant applications with the principal investigator. * Works closely with the PI and other senior members of the lab to organize laboratory activities, including group meetings. * Trains students and junior technicians within the laboratory. * Follows laboratory safety requirements. * Participates to local, national and international educational opportunities to learn about: grant and manuscript writing, new research techniques, safety and regulatory policies in research, ethics in research, leadership and mentoring. * May be required to perform small tasks for the PI, including, but not limited to: collecting materials for grants/manuscripts. * May be required to develop protocols and/or operate highly complex equipment. *Participates in departmental activities including journal clubs, workshops and seminars.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: * Doctor of Philosophy degree in genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, immunology, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering or a related field and/or Doctor of Medicine degree (or equivalent) required. * One to ten years of research experience preferred. * Strong working knowledge of molecular biology techniques including immunohistochemistry, gel-shift assays, Western blots, in-situ hybridization, transcription reporter assays, qRT-PCR, and cell culture techniques including flow cytometry. * Strong experience in working with small animals including procedures. * Experience working with transgenic and knockout mice. * Experience with behavioral testing preferred. *Experience with biomechanical testing preferred. * Experience with micro-CT data acquisition and analyses preferred. * Experience with bioinformatics and large data analyses preferred. * Published scholarly articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals preferred. * Must have excellent communication skills and be able to work in a cooperative, interactive group setting. * Must have good management skills and be self-driven and assertive in order to successfully perform in the laboratory. * Has good computer skills including word processing, data management and digital imagery processing.
Rush University Highlights: Rush University is hub of the Institute for Translational Medicine, a partnership between Rush University and University of Chicago that is fueled by about $35 million in grants from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program. It is one of the 60 CTSA Program-supported hubs across the country. Rush University is a leading academic center, home to one of the first medical colleges in the Midwest, as well as graduate programs in allied health, health systems management and biomedical research. Rush University has particular research strengths in bone & joint and obesity research. It is the home of over twenty principal investigators (including Dr. Spagnoli) doing research that has advanced our knowledge of skeletal diseases, understanding fracture healing, addressing cartilage and bone regeneration, developing new treatment for osteoporosis, understanding the performance of artificial materials used in joint replacement, optimizing quality of life for arthritis patients and developing new therapies to treat obesity. Researchers have documented research excellence receiving millions in NIH funding, have prominent leadership positions in national bone & joint and metabolic organizations (Dr. Spagnoli is an elected member of the Council of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, ASBMR) and have published at a rate of over 150 papers per year. The Department of Orthopedics is ranked #7 in US by US News & World Report for 2019-2020. Rush University Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer that welcomes and encourages all applicants to apply regardless of age, race, sex, religion, color, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or parental status, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy or other reason prohibited by law.
Chicago: As one of the most popular cities in the nation, Chicago is a cultural, historical and diverse city. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago in known for its nearly 200 distinct neighborhoods and its extensive park systems, along with its sports teams, museums and vibrant cultural community.
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