Career Center

About the Wickman Lab: 

The function of the heart and brain is shaped by excitatory and inhibitory influences acting at the cellular level. Many debilitating medical problems including arrhythmias, addiction, anxiety, depression, and pain are caused by an imbalance in cellular excitability. Work in our lab seeks to identify, elucidate, and interrogate cellular and molecular mechanisms that modulate cell excitability in the heart and brain. By pursuing this research, new approaches to diagnose, treat, or prevent medical problems linked to pathological excitability can be envisioned, developed, and optimized.

For more information, please visit: Wickman Lab Homepage (umn.edu)

Job Responsibilities
Contribute to NIH-funded and pilot research programs exploring the molecular and cellular basis of behaviors related to addiction, mood (anxiety and depression), learning and memory. Support and facilitate the efforts of team members.

Primary duties will include:
80% directing multiple independent research projects
o Conducting investigations and experiments in an assigned area to aid in finding a solution to a research problem
o Understanding the relevant scientific literature and context surrounding the problem
o Developing and adapting scientific protocols to ensure that high quality and reproducible data are obtained; comprehensive record-keeping
o Data analysis and interpretation
o Coordinating contributions from other team members, collaborators, and service cores
o Aid in dissemination of study findings (e.g., manuscript preparation)
15% training and supervision of junior lab members
o Training and supervision of students (undergrad, grad, rotation, summer), postdocs, and support staff in lab-related procedures
o Provide assistance with trouble-shooting of lab research projects
5% general lab support
o Attendance and participation at lab meetings
o Develop new avenues of investigation
o Maintaining a safe, clean, and organized workplace
o Assistance with lab staffing and performance evaluations

Required Qualifications (must be mentioned on application/resume)
• PhD in the biomedical sciences
• 6+ years of experience working in a biomedical research laboratory
• Experience with mouse handling, intracranial manipulations (e.g., pharmacologic, genetic, chemogenetic, optogenetic), and behavioral analysis

Preferred Qualifications
• 2+ years of postdoctoral training in a neuroscience research lab
• 2 or more of the following:
Experience with techniques in electrophysiology (e.g., patch clamp approaches in culture or slices)
Experience with techniques in molecular biology/genetics (e.g., gene expression analysis)
Experience with techniques in biochemistry (e.g, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, proteomics/phosphoproteomics)
Experience with cell culture (e.g., cell lines, primary neuronal cultures)
Experience with in vivo (e.g., fiber photometry, miniscopes) or in vitro imaging (e.g, Ca2+ imaging in cultured neurons)
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; comfort in working in a team
• Mentorship experience in a research lab setting
 

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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