Postdoctoral Research Associate - Kirchner Lab

Job TitlePostdoctoral Research Associate - Kirchner Lab Agency Texas A&M University Health Science Center Department Medical Physiology Proposed Minimum SalaryCommensurate Job LocationBryan, Texas Job TypeStaff Job Description Our Commitment Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experiences. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service. Who we are As one of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the nation, Texas A&M Health encompasses five colleges and numerous centers and institutes working together to improve health through transformative education, innovative research and team-based health care delivery. What we want The Postdoctoral Research Associate is responsible for conducting research into their field of expertise. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will utilize the skills and expertise granted to them by their education and experience to complete research projects in their field of expertise. Writes and may contribute to research papers, articles, and publications. Assists with the preparation and cleaning of worksite. May collaborate with other researchers and/or faculty both within and outside of Texas A&M. This position is within the Kirchner Laboratory in the Department of Medical Physiology at Texas A&M College of Medicine. This position will perform patch clamp electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and immunohistochemistry for to study the neurophysiology of vasopressin and oxytocin neurosecretory neurons, their role in hydromineral balance, and their dysfunction in a rat model of heart failure. What you need to know

Salary:

Will be commensurate based on the selected hire's education and experience.

Location/Schedule:

Bryan, TX/ Full-Time; This position may require work beyond normal office hours and/or work on weekends.

Please note:

This position is grant funded; future employment may be contingent upon future funding. Apply! Submitting a cover letter, CV/Resume to assist us with the review process. You may upload these documents on the application under CV/Resume. Required Education and Experience Appropriate PhD in neuroscience, neurophysiology, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications Patch Clamp electrophysiology:

Prep solutions for recordings, cutting live brain slices on a vibratome, and perform voltage and current clamp recordings in neurons. Use optogenetics, photolytic uncaging, chemogenetics, fluorescent biosensors, electrical stimulation, and application of pharmacologic compounds during patch clamp experiments. Maintain the electrophysiology rig, keep accurate records of experiments, perform data analysis, and create figures for publications and grants.

Rodent survival surgery:

Coronary ligation (heart failure surgery) for studying the disease in electrophysiology experiments. Stereotaxic delivery of AAVs encoding fluorescent tracers, DREADDs or opsins to be used in electrophysiology experiments.

Calcium imaging:

Utilize calcium dyes or genetically encoded calcium sensors (i.e. GCaMP) to measure and quantify intracellular calcium levels in a live brain slice preparation. Perform these experiments simultaneously with patch clamp. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Transcardial perfusion, fixation, cryostat sectioning, staining, and mounting tissue specimens. Visualization and analysis of IHC imaging data Multiunit electrophysiological experiments, particularly using

Neuropixels Software Expertise and Data Analysis:

pCLAMP, ImageJ, MatLab, Imaris Additional expertise using Igor Pro, Prism, Python, and/or Adobe Illustrator Ability to train other laboratory members in the techniques listed above. Responsibilities Research Under general supervision, is responsible for conducting research into their field of expertise. Utilizes knowledge and skills granted to them by their education and expertise to complete research projects in their field of expertise. Assists with the preparation and cleaning of worksite. Analyzes research data and summarizes results. Writes and may contribute to research papers, articles, and publications. Mentoring May assist, mentor, and/or supervise student researchers and/or graduate students who are working on research related to the project. Presentations Prepares presentation materials on research topic that may be presented to small and/or large groups. Actively participates in the preparation of required technical progress reports to research sponsors. Professional Development Apply for career-appropriate grants and fellowships under the guidance of the PI. Travels to scientific conferences to give presentations. Why Texas A&M University? We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration. Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you. Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes. Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums 12-15 days of annual paid holidays Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month Automatic enrollment in the

Teacher Retirement System of Texas Health and Wellness:

Free exercise programs and release time

Professional Development:

All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees Instructions to

Applicants:

Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered, or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to prepopulate the online application. All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution's verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution's procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check. Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a statewide network of twelve universities, eight state agencies, a comprehensive health science center, Texas A&M-Fort Worth and Texas

A&M-RELLIS.

The A&M System is committed to providing an educational and work environment that is conducive to the personal and professional development of each employee. Each member institution provides equal opportunity and access to all students, employees and prospective employees. External Applicants - Applicants not currently employed by a Texas A&M System member may Search Postings and apply for positions within one or more A&M System members by selecting the job posting. Internal Applicants - This site lists job postings throughout The Texas A&M University System. It is intended for applicants not currently employed by a member of the system. Current employees should apply for jobs on the Internal Career site. The Texas A&M System is an Equal Opportunity/ Veterans/ Disability Employer.