Postdoctoral Research Associate – Heinzen Lab at InsideHigherEd

Department: SOP-DPET - 452200 Posting Open Date: 03/28/2023 Open Until Filled: Yes Position Type: Postdoctoral Scholar Position Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate – Heinzen Lab Vacancy ID: PDS003793 Full-time/Part-time: Full Time FTE: 1 Work Location: Chapel Hill, NC Hiring Range: $52,000 - $60,000 Proposed Start Date: 07/01/2021 Estimated Duration of Appointment: 12 Months Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit: The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (www.pharmacy.unc.edu) is one of five health science schools (Pharmacy, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, Medicine) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is one of the oldest health science academic programs at Chapel Hill. The School teaches approximately 600 PharmD students and 145 graduate students. The School has built a reputation for its continued pursuit of excellence, rigorous education and training programs, cutting-edge multidisciplinary research, progressive pharmacy practices, efficient business operations, and its outstanding faculty, staff, and students. The School was named the number one School of Pharmacy in the U.S. by the U.S. News and World Report. The School has experienced unprecedented growth and success and continues to strategically position itself for sustained impact, as articulated in the School’s Strategic Plan (https://pharmacy.unc.edu/about/oe/strategic-plan/). Our Vision is to be the global leader in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Our Mission is to prepare leaders and innovators to solve the world’s most pressing health care challenges. We are Advancing Medicine for Life through innovation and collaboration in pharmacy practice, education, research, and public service. Position Summary: The Heinzen laboratory in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, in collaboration with the Eshelman Institute for Innovation, in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is looking to immediately fill multiple postdoctoral fellowship positions to study molecular mechanisms across multiple types of genetic epilepsies to identify convergent disease mechanisms and drug targets. The successful candidates will be part of a highly interdisciplinary environment to develop induced pluripotent stem cell derived neuronal models of genetic epilepsies and apply cutting-edge technologies including electrophysiology, single-cell RNAseq, chromatin conformation capture technique, optogenetics, genetic encoded biosensors of neurotransmission, and live cell imaging, to study cellular and molecular signatures associated genetic epilepsies. Well-defined cellular and molecular signatures will be fed into the drug discovery pipeline and/or subjected to CRISPR-screens to identify druggable genetic modifiers as part of the Drug Discovery Initiative led by the Eshelman Institute of Innovation. The ultimate goal is for postdoctoral fellows to develop specialized skill sets to drive independent research programs that can launch independent research careers Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: The position requires a Ph.D. in a biological sciences discipline (e.g., neuroscience, molecular biology, pharmacology, cell biology, molecular genetics), and a publication record demonstrating research productivity. Excellent communication, organization, writing, data analysis skills, and willingness to be part of collaborative team science skills are also essential. Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience: Excellent communication, organization, writing, and willingness to be part of collaborative team science skills are also essential. Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience: The projects will involve a significant amount of laboratory bench work. Research experience with human induced pluripotent stem cell models preferred but not required. Special Instructions: For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here