Post Doctoral Associate

Med-Structural Biology - Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh - (23000638)

 Overall Summary

One postdoctoral position is available in Dr. Stella Y. Sun's lab (https://sunlab.structbio.pitt.edu/ ) at University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. We are seeking an enthusiastic postdoctoral fellow to study the cellular structures and the regulation of their coordinated duplication/segregation during cell divisions and cell motility in Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei ), a single celled-parasite which causes African sleeping sickness in humans and Nagano in cattle.  As a model system, molecular and genetic manipulation such as inducible expression and RNAi allows rapid characterization of protein functions in T. brucei . Furthermore, T. brucei has a single copy of nucleus, mitochondrion, flagellum, and Golgi, suitable for fluorescence microscopic and electron microscopic studies. My lab is dedicated to the protein function, protein-protein interaction and structural determination of cellular machinery in single-celled parasites by using molecular and cell biology and the cutting-edge cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) with allied techniques such as cryo-FIB-SEM. With the advanced imaging techniques, we can visualize the organization of cellular structures and their coordination in 3D spatial organization through a multi-scale imaging platform ranging from microns to sub-nanometers, to elucidate the molecular and structure functions that drive cell motility. Our laboratory is fully equipped for all aspects of molecular and cellular biology and has direct access to Titan Krios 3Gi, focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (cryo-FIB-SEM) Aquilos2 (https://www.structbio.pitt.edu/index.php/facilities/cryoem ), and other instrumentation in core facilities (http://www.researchimaging.pitt.edu/content/center-biologic-imaging ). 

Duties or Responsibilities

• Ability to design and perform experiments
• Ability to analyze and interpret experimental results
• Ability to use a collaborative approach to formulate alternative and creative solutions to problems
• Present research projects to internal and external meetings or workshops
• Engage in writing of publications and reports
• Assist with graduate student training
• Good communication with group leaders and members

Expectations or Standards

• Ph.D. or equivalent in cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry, structural biology, or related fields. This position is subject to the University's background check policy.
• Interested applicants should send your application package (a full CV and a cover letter of your research interest, and the contact information of 3 referees) to Dr. Stella Y. Sun, stellasun@pitt.edu with subject "Postdoc Application - Your Name".

Opportunities Available

University encourages applications from under-represented groups.

The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity. EOE, including disability/vets