POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE

Work Arrangement:

Requisition Number: 250696

Regular or Temporary: Regular

Location:

Durham, NC, US, 27710

Personnel Area: MEDICAL CENTER

Date: Dec 6, 2024

School of Medicine

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

A Postdoctoral position at Duke University is available to conduct research on chronic pain. Using a combination of animal models, behavioral tests, imaging, patch-clamp, neuroanatomy, genetic, molecular biology approaches, the successful candidate is expected to design and perform experiments to identify pathological mechanisms underlying chronic pain and associated comorbidities (e.g. anxiety and depression), with a focus on ion channels, neural circuits, and neuroinflammation.

Candidate must have completed the requirements for the PhD degree or equivalent in Neurobiology related fields by the time of beginning the position. Prior experience in pain, neural circuits, and neuroinflammation research and familiarity with techniques below are highly desirable:

· animal models

· animal behavioral tests

· immunohistochemistry

· cryostat/microtome sectioning

· cell culture

· tissue/sample collection

· confocal, 2-photon, and/or light sheet imaging

· patch-clamp (cell and slice)

· Western blot

· RT-PCR

The candidate must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, be strongly motivated, and work well in a team setting. A rough effort distribution for this position is indicated below:

· Work on assigned projects (~80%)

· Review scientific literature, write manuscripts, and prepare posters (~10%)

· Attend lab/center meetings and research seminars (~5%)

· Other related duties incidental to the work (~5%)

This mentored position functions more independently and contributes towards scientific publications, and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to participate in national/international meetings. The pain research environment at Duke University is excellent. The trainee will also have the opportunity to interact directly with exceptional faculty, postdocs and graduate students to tackle research problems relevant to pain and benefit greatly from a strong scientific, translational, and clinical research environment.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.