Professional Researcher in Molecular Imaging and Neurobiology of Neurodegenerative Proteinopathies

About the role

The Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is seeking a professional research scientist to join our team. The successful candidate will contribute to our cutting-edge research focused on understanding the mechanisms of protein aggregation, particularly in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and related tauopathies.

Responsibilities

• Procurement, validation, and characterization of ex vivo human brain samples, in vitro human iPSC-derived neural cell models, and transgenic rodents
• Development and application of advanced molecular labeling methods, confocal-based fluorescence lifetime and spectral imaging, and other molecular imaging techniques
• Establishment of standard protocols and training junior lab members
• Collaboration with other IND faculty and research teams on groundbreaking projects
• Data analysis and statistics using available software
• Coordination of lab management and organization, mentoring junior postdoctoral scientists, graduate students, and lab technicians
• Contribution to manuscript preparation for publications and grant proposal writing
• Maintaining EH&S compliance and good working order of relevant equipment

Requirements

• Doctorate or equivalent degree in Neuroscience, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in molecular and optical imaging, including sample preparation, fluorescence microscope operation, high-throughput data collection, computation and statistical analysis, and graphical presentation
• 5+ years of experience in working with animal models of aging and neurodegenerative disease and postmortem human brain samples
• Demonstrated experience in user training and support for the operation of molecular biology and sequencing instruments and experimental protocols
• Five years minimum postdoctoral experience in ex vivo human tissue studies and in vivo rodent modeling
• Expertise in advanced optical imaging techniques, biology of neuronal and glial cell types, and computational and bioinformatic skills for imaging data analysis
• Biochemistry and molecular biology expertise including protein, RNA, and DNA purification and analysis by in vitro methods, including sequencing methods
• Experience with brain cell dissociation and isolation using magnetic beads or FACS

Qualifications

• A high sense of responsibility for career development and organizational wellbeing
• Willingness to receive training and guidance from senior investigators and serve as a mentor to trainees
• Strong written and verbal communication skills evidenced by scientific peer-reviewed publications and awarded fellowship proposals