Join Our Team

Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher that is interested in being an integral member of an interdisciplinary program across human and model systems genetics. Specifically, the postdoctoral researcher will perform whole cell electrophysiology recordings from visualized neurons in various cortical, striatal and midbrain acute slices. Applicants are expected to have some experience using whole cell voltage and current clamp recordings to assess the synaptic connectivity of specific neural circuits. The researcher will also perform stereotaxic delivery of viruses into brain and perform basic immunohistochemical assays on recorded tissues. The candidate will work closely with ASPE principal investigators and leadership team to develop a rigorous and cutting-edge research agenda that prepares the Postdoctoral Researcher for his/her next career steps. Joining ASPE affords you with a unique cross-disciplinary training experience in collaborative science and access to a wide range of professional development activities.

About Us:

The Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE; https://aspe.med.upenn.edu/) at the Perelman School of Medicine was established in 2017 to significantly advance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of autism for the development of precise, novel diagnostic and treatment approaches that aim to improve the quality of life of individuals with autism. ASPE recruits subjects with autism and their family members, performing extensive quantitative phenotyping and genomic analysis of these families to capture the range of genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity and to define genotype-phenotype relationships. To understand the cellular, molecular, circuit, and behavioral phenotypes associated with gene perturbations in autism, ASPE utilizes various model systems, including Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Danio rerio, Mus musculus, and human induced pluripotent stem cell models. These model systems are also used to identify treatments for autism-relevant traits. Since ASPE executes a multidisciplinary research agenda, our team consists of leading experts across multiple fields – genetics, biology, neuroscience, model systems, and psychiatry.

The Fuccillo lab (https://www.med.upenn.edu/fuccillolab) contributes to ASPE via ongoing work seeking to understand how changes in the synaptic connectivity of specific neural circuits contributes to autism spectrum pathophysiology. The lab uses electrophysiology in acute brain slices, in vivo neural recordings and quantitative motor and value-based behavioral tasks to study mouse genetic models for autism. The candidate will be primarily managed by Dr. Marc Fuccillo with input from Dr. Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou (https://www.med.upenn.edu/zhoulab).

Job Responsibilities:

Conduct independent scholarly research and develop new methods/protocols; Participate in project planning, recording, and evaluation of data; Acquire technical, lab management, and grant writing skills; Participate in presentations and poster sessions internally and at national meetings; Prepare written reports for publications and grant submissions; Supervise junior lab members; Assist with other research projects

Required Education and Experience:

A PhD or MD/PhD in in the area of genetics, neuroscience, psychology, bioinformatics, computational biology, or equivalent

Qualifications:

Self-starter with ability to carry out creative, independent work, but also a strong desire to contribute and work collaboratively to achieve goals; Prior success in roles requiring execution of multiple tasks; Detail-oriented and analytical candidate who can think strategically; Excellent oral/written communication skills are highly valued; Proficiency in complex research datasets, cleaning and managing multimodal data, and conducting analysis; Early publication record and strong desire to publish; Ability to work with large research teams; interpersonal skills and effective collaboration experience is highly valued; Knowledge of advanced statistical methods is a plus; Prior research experience in genetics, psychiatry, or neuroscience is a plus

Manager/Supervisor:

The candidate will be primarily managed by Dr. Marc Fuccillo with input from Dr. Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou and Dr. Maria Fasolino.

Department / School:

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

How to Apply:

Application review will begin immediately and will continue until all positions are filled. To apply, please send a cover letter describing your research background and interest, your CV, and the contact information of three references to Marc Fuccillo (fuccillo@pennmedicine.upenn.edu; lead investigator) and Maria Fasolino (fasolino@pennmedicine.upenn.edu; ASPE program director).

This position is also posted on Penn’s Biomedical Postdoctoral Program website (found here).

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