A NIH-funded post-doctoral position is available in the laboratory of Susan J. Baserga, MD, PhD, in the Departments of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University and the Yale School of Medicine. The successful candidate will be driving research into the mechanistic biochemical and physiological aspects of how ribosomes are made in eukaryotic cells using model systems ranging from human cell lines and mice to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Xenopus tropicalis. The successful candidate will not only gain extensive experience working in these model systems but will also receive expert career mentoring. They will develop skills in a wide range of basic biochemical and genetic techniques including, but not limited to, high throughput screening, northern blots, western blots, qPCR, subcellular fractionation, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence and RNA-seq.
Ribosome biogenesis is essential for cells and developing organisms. As such, ribosome production is often dysregulated in cancer and is implicated in a growing number of congenital human genetic diseases known as the ribosomopathies (a recent paper from our laboratory can be found here at Bryant et al PNAS https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2017777118). We have also uncovered strong evidence to support a role for the nucleolus and ribosome biogenesis in embryonic development, neurodegenerative diseases, cytoskeletal integrity, and DNA repair, among other cellular processes and diverse signaling pathways (see our papers in Cell Reports, 2018; Molecular Biology of the Cell 2021). This year we have published a landmark study on how microRNAs regulate the making of ribosomes (Nucleic Acids Research 2024), leading us in an entirely new scientific direction to relevant questions of human brain development. The successful candidate will conceptualize and design original research among these themes and execute it in an environment that values teamwork, camaraderie, and intellectual curiosity.
Candidates must be highly-motivated and have a PhD in the biological sciences, with a degree in biochemistry, genetics, cancer biology, developmental biology, or cell biology preferred. A high level of proficiency in basic laboratory techniques is also required.
For more information about the Baserga laboratory please visit our website at https://basergalab.yale.edu/. If you are interested in this position, please send your CV and cover letter to Dr. Susan J. Baserga at [email protected].