Vacancies

The Brancaccio Lab invites applications from talented, highly motivated and creative postdoctoral scientists to take a leading role in one of the following projects investigating molecular cellular and circuit mechanisms driving circadian dysfunction in pre-clinical models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

What you would be doing

Project: Leveraging circadian clocks to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

In this project, you will develop new molecular tools modifying circadian pathways to prevent/ delay Alzheimer’s disease. This project stems from newly established mouse models and clock molecular targets identified in the Brancaccio Lab. You will perform viral delivery of gene therapy viral vectors, behavioural assessment of sleep-wake cycles and cognition, multiplexed live imaging in brain tissue, combinatorial intersectional genetics, and multivariate statistical analysis of time series to validate new chronotherapeutic interventions in Alzheimer’s disease. Further experience with analyses of large ‘OMICS dataset and advanced molecular biology tools in addition to stereotaxic brain surgery and live imaging will be an element of significant strength for this position. Previous knowledge of circadian biology is desirable but not strictly necessary.

What we are looking for

• You will be a motivated and organised researcher, excited by the science we do.
• You will hold (or be near completion of) a PhD in neuroscience (or related discipline).
• Experience of one or more laboratory techniques including live imaging microscopy and advanced techniques of molecular biology (e.g., cloning, viral vector design, construction and production, CRISPR/Cas9 and/or RNAi functional interference
• Experience of one or more software packages is essential: MATLAB, ImageJ, SigmaPlot,
• Prism, R, as is experience in statistical analysis.
• Practical experience with RNAseq, RNA scope, and spatial transcriptomic techniques is highly desirable.
• Experience with multivariate statistical analysis of (circadian) time series is highly desirable.

Applications are invited for a Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

The mission of the UK DRI at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Mina Ryten, is to create a collaborative, inter-disciplinary Centre that combines world-leading expertise across cell biology, chemistry, transcriptomics and genetics to understand the mechanisms driving neurodegeneration. We study all stages of disease in order to identify therapeutic targets with the greatest potential to treat dementia. Our existing research themes encompassing protein aggregation and clearance, ER dynamics, autophagy, DNA repair and transcriptomics, have already been highly successful and we intend to build on this momentum by continuing to recruit talented scientists.

We are looking for a clinical or non-clinical researcher to lead an individual internationally competitive research programme into neurodegeneration within the UK DRI here at Cambridge. We seek creative and innovative proposals for a new research programme in areas including but not limited to: the genetics of neurodegenerative disorders, the application of 'Omics technologies to the study of neurodegenerative disorders and the development of computational methods with a particular focus on integrative approaches.

For questions relating to the post, please contact Professor Mina Ryten at mr2022@cam.ac.uk for an informal and confidential discussion about the role.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 5 years in the first instance.