A position for an ambitious junior postdoctoral researcher is immediately available in the laboratory of Chris Burd of the department of cell biology at the Yale School of Medicine. We are cell biologists with interests in understanding homeostatic pathways that maintain the functions of membrane-bounded organelles, especially the Golgi apparatus, the plasma membrane and the lysosome. Currently, we focus on sphingolipids that are produced in the Golgi apparatus. Perturbations to sphingolipid synthesis, trafficking and turnover play key roles in protection from neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), metabolic disease (e.g., diabetes) and developmental disorders. Recent discoveries from our lab include a role for very long chain sphingolipids in cholesterol homeostasis, lysosome function and growth regulation. Our laboratory relies heavily on lipidomics, metabolic lipid labeling technologies, live cell imaging and biochemistry.
The successful candidate will have experience with lipid biochemistry and analysis and have a strong desire to apply their training to investigate a cholesterol-sphingolipid homeostasis axis that controls cholesterol and sphingolipid levels of organelle membranes. The candidate will benefit from an exceptionally collaborative research community with expertise in membrane biophysics, optical imaging technologies, organelle cell biology and diverse model organisms.
Please respond with a statement of interest, your CV and a short description of relevant expertise to [email protected].
Examples of our relevant research can be found in these publications:
Kim et al., 2023 doi: 10.1083/jcb.202308055
Kim and Burd, 2023 doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041397
Sundberg et al, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.08.014
Deng et al, 2016. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1602875113