POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE

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.

Occupational Summary

Conduct independent research activities under the guidance of a faculty mentor in preparation for a academic or research career.

Work Performed

A Postdoctoral position at Duke University is available to conduct research on chronic pain. Using animal pain models, behavioral tests, calcium imaging, patch-clamp, optogenetics, neuroanatomy, molecular biology, the successful candidate is expected to design and perform experiments to identify pathological mechanisms underlying craniofacial pain (e.g. temporomandibular disorders pain, migraine, and eye pain) and arthritis pain (e.g. psoriatic arthritis pain), with a focus on with a focus on ion channels, neural circuits, and neuromodulation.

Candidate must have completed the requirements for the PhD degree or equivalent in Neuroscience related fields by the time of beginning the position. Prior experience in pain research, immunology, dermatology, and familiarity with techniques below are highly desirable but not mandatory:

· animal pain models

· animal behavioral tests

· immunohistochemistry

· cell culture

· calcium imaging (in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo)

· confocal microscopy

· patch-clamp

· optogenetics

· Western blot

· RT-PCR

· lipidomics

· vagus nerve stimulation

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 manuscript, and prepare poster (~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.

Min Degree Requirements:

Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g. Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M.). Should be used for post-doctoral fellows if the candidate has completed all of the requirements for a degree, but the degree has not been formally conferred; the candidate may present evidence of completion of the degree requirements, together with a statement documenting the date on which the degree is to be conferred.

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Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job 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.