Postdoc Position: Visible Ape & Dissemination

Hiring Institution: Howard Univ.; Posted: 06-11-2019; Duration PostDoc: Sept2019-Aug2022

A postdoctoral researcher is sought to join the Rui Diogo lab (www.ruidiogolab.com), at the Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy (Washington DC).

Within the field, this is one of the labs with a higher impact, number of publications in top journals, books, awards, and press coverage (TV, newspapers, press releases, etc.). Therefore we are looking for someone that is not only a relatively independent, top researcher, but also highly motivated, ambitious, willing to learn, and to help in dissemination – a crucial component of the philosophy of the laboratory-, including travels to rural communities in Africa and several scientific meetings. On the other hand, this means the researcher will gain a huge experience and be part of several top publications, therefore becoming highly prepared for a more senior position, after those 3 years, as has been the case with the vast majority of our previous postdocs. See also:
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rui_Diogo
Diogo Lab’s books: http://www.amazon.com/Rui-Diogo/e/B001JS2K96

We are therefore interested in a candidate that will have the ability to:

1) Help to coordinate a major, NSF-funded project to produce a Visible Ape Website and mobile app that is similar to, and will be directly compared with, the Visible Human Project.

2) Help write review papers and books on broader evolutionary topics, therefore getting a substantial experience in publishing in top journals and monographs.

3) Have the willingness to disseminate science and bring awareness to ape conservation, including in rural communities in Africa, DC public schools, scientific meetings, and numerous other places. Therefore, the researcher should have a good, and ideally a very good, English level, as well as writing skills.

4) Have a high independence, and the drive to be highly productive, taking advantage of the broader scope and numerous collaborations of the lab, while also enjoying a vast liberty, concerning both a daily-basis schedule and at an intellectual level.

Interested candidates should send a 1-page letter addressing this announcement, as well as a detailed CV to Rui Diogo, at rui.diogo@howard.edu. Please write “post-doc in Diogo’s lab” followed by your last name in the email subject.

Howard University is a historical University situated in the center of Washington DC, which is a beautiful, green and enjoyable city with numerous cultural and outdoor activities. The Department of Anatomy provides a prosperous, resourceful and multidisciplinary environment for research, includes faculty with a broad experience in developmental biology, paleontology, neurobiology, comparative anatomy and medicine. We have strong ties with surrounding institutions, particularly with George Washington University and Smithsonian Institution, and the candidate will probably have the opportunity to do part of his/her research at those institutions and thus to further expand his/her knowledge and academic connections.

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Highly motivated postdoctoral candidates are invited to lead several new projects to address fundamental questions in protein and RNA homeostasis related to neurodegenerative diseases in the laboratory of Jiou Wang. Experimental approaches, including biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology, from invertebrate to mammalian systems are employed. New techniques applied in the lab include iPSC neurons, genome editing, single cell analysis, and metabolite studies. Candidates with a strong background in biochemical, molecular, and/or cellular biology are encouraged to apply.

The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions provide a stimulating and collaborative environment for biomedical research. Our lab is affiliated with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Department of Neuroscience at the School of Medicine. The Baltimore/Washington D.C. area also offers rich professional and living opportunities.

Candidates should have a doctoral degree and strong research background. Please send a statement of research experience and career goals, a copy of Curriculum Vitae, and contact information of at least one reference to Dr. Jiou Wang at jiouw@jhmi.edu.

A complete listing of PubMed-accessible publications can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Jiou+Wang.

More information available at: https://www.jhsph.edu/faculty/directory/profile/2251/jiou-wang.The Johns Hopkins University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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 In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, reporter Graihagh Jackson loses herself in the valley of hybridisation, visiting the Society’s medal-winning Mendel-based garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and speaking with Professor Wendy Bickmore (MRC HGU, Edinburgh) and Dr Greg Mellers (NIAB, Cambridge). Plus, Professor Laurence Hurst (University of Bath) on the importance of playing with your genes.

Listen and download now from GeneticsUnzipped.com, plus full show notes and transcripts.

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Press release from Development. You can also read the Research Highlight for this article.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been linked to poor growth of the placenta, causing conditions such as fetal growth restriction and low birth weight. Although most women cease drinking once they know they are pregnant, the effect of alcohol during the initial stages of pregnancy, even as early as around the time of conception, is less well understood. Now, Dr Jacinta Kalisch-Smith together with Professor Karen Moritz at the University of Queensland in Australia have investigated the impact of alcohol consumption on the placenta early in pregnancy. They show that the growth of the placentas of rats that consumed alcohol around the time of conception was reduced significantly, providing new evidence for how pregnancy-related conditions develop. This research has just been published in the scientific journal Development.
“We wanted to know whether early alcohol exposure could affect the development of the early embryo and the placenta. Using a rat model, we assessed the ability of the embryo to implant into the uterus, and, later, how well blood vessels formed in the placenta,” explained Kalisch-Smith.

Using this approach, the scientists were able to study changes that happen throughout the rat’s pregnancy and found that even early exposure to alcohol (between 4 days before and 4 days after fertilisation) restricted the growth and function of the placenta.

“We found early alcohol exposure reduced blood vessel formation in the placenta, and this led to fewer nutrients being delivered to the embryo,” said Kalisch-Smith.

Strikingly, the placentas of female embryos were particularly susceptible, with up to a 17% reduction in size and a 32% drop in blood vessel formation, limiting the ability of the placenta to transport nutrients.

“This has implications for human health by helping to explain, in part, why babies exposed to alcohol in the womb are often born small,” said Kalisch-Smith. “It is important to understand the causes of low birth weight, because it has been shown to be an independent risk factor for diseases later in adulthood, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity.”

These observations provide an important basis for future research into pregnancy-associated conditions like fetal growth restriction. Kalisch-Smith added, “The next part of this project is to see whether nutrient supplementation can reduce or even prevent the adverse effects of alcohol exposure.”

The full study, “Periconceptional alcohol exposure causes female-specific perturbations to trophoblast differentiation and placental formation in the rat” appears in the journal, Development.

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Here we hear the experiences of three students who completed a developmental biology course in Zhiyuan College in Shanghai, as well as an introduction to the course by organiser Guojun Sheng

Zhiyuan College (https://zhiyuan.sjtu.edu.cn/articles/701) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (STJU) is an undergraduate talent-training program founded by then president Zhang Jie in 2010. Its philosophy is to place a small group of selected students in a non-traditional learning environment so that they can explore their genuine academic interest and realize their full intellectual potentials. Each year, Zhiyuan College recruits about 20-30 students majoring in Biological Sciences (other majors include Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Sciences, Engineering and Biomedical Sciences). Developmental Biology is an elective course offered to all second- and third-year Zhiyuan students, with a usual class-size of 7-15.

The course organizer(s) decides the topics to be covered and invite colleagues who share their passion for developmental biology research and training to teach at Zhiyuan for 1-2 weeks each. Lecturers for this year’s animal development include Drs. Jeremy Green, Shigeo Hayashi, Antoon Moorman, Olivier Pourquie, Fengwei Yu, Weimin Zhong and myself (The course also includes ongoing plant development lectures organized by Prof. Wanqi Liang). Lectures are divided into class-room style teaching (2/3) and journal-club style presentation and discussion (1/3). For most students, this course is the first instance when they get a systematic introduction to developmental phenomena and concepts which had fascinated many of us before we chose developmental biology as a career. Thanks to the small class size and enthusiastic lecturers, students get an early peek into developmental wonders. Each year, after the course, a couple of students kindle their inner passion and pursue further training and education in developmental biology.

Student experiences

Why I study developmental biology

Xinyu Wang

Before I took the course, I considered developmental biology to be just about how a fertilized zygote becomes a baby through cell division and cell differentiation. But when I truly got into it, I found this was quite a shallow representation of the subject, and that there was lots of charm in development.

From the conservation of Hox genes from sea urchin to human, we see the great power of evolution. From the dynamic process of gastrulation, we see the elegant design of the body plan. From the grafting experiments of the Spemann organizer, we see another opportunity of regeneration. All of these impressive scenes greatly broadened my view of developmental biology.

Besides these interesting parts, the idea of interdisciplinary experiments also attracts me. Development is the final result, but the access to get this result is variable. We can see through the egg shell to know how chicken embryos form. We can use forward and reverse genetics to study the important molecules in AP axis formation. We also can utilize bioinformatics strategies to screen homologous genes in different organisms.

The journey of studying developmental biology is far from terminal, and the insight that organisms give will encourage me to work hard in biology.

What I learnt in developmental biology

Yankun Li

This semester we took a course on animal developmental biology for animals and I learnt a lot. Here are some of my feelings on this course.

Arranged in order, there are 7 professors teaching this course in turn. Prof. Sheng was the first to come. He introduced the whole view and outlook of developmental biology, as well as some basic concepts on early embryo development, such as gastrulation. Then, Prof. Zhong came, who was charged with the early development of the nervous system. What impressed me most was the way that he induced and brightened our mind on the topics, though he was somewhat strict. During Prof. Moorman’s stay, I received knowledge not only in academic but also in other aspects. Firstly, I can visualize the cardiac development through his heart model. What’s more, in the seminar, he told us about 3D reconstruction of human embryo. What a fantastic technology that can convert 2D pictures to a 3D model! Besides, the wide conversation between us made it clearer for me how scientists thought about questions. I enjoyed Prof. Hayashi’s lectures very much, by the end of which I knew more about cell-cell junctions. However, I did not do such a good job in the mid-term exam. A-week-long stay might be a little bit short for Prof. Hayashi, because I thought that he still had something to share with us and I retained some questions to ask him, unfortunately, not in time. Prof. Yu told us something about Drosophila and some experiences in the lab. Then Prof. Pourquie came to teach us in the middle of April: his movies gave a better understand on Hox genes. Finally, Prof. Green visited our campus. He is a talkative British with an appealing accent. His lectures were lively and he made the process of morphogenesis concrete in details by comparison, etc. Besides, I appreciated that he taught us how to use a confocal microscope.

Finally, I must say that each professor’s efforts are very respectable. They did their best to teach us the experiences they have got from their lives in research, and so lightened the future of our own scientific research. Thank you all for the cheering lectures. I will never forget the precious knowledge you told us.

Before and after taking the course

Yangye Zhang

The initial reasons why I chose to take the developmental biology course was to fulfill my credit requirements as well as equip myself with more knowledge. Actually, at that time, I had no idea which field in biology I should choose for my further study, so I decided to try as much as I can. Luckily, I met with the one I am willing to devote myself to.

I could still remember the first lecture, which contained lots of movies showing the early embryonic development of Drosophila, Xenopus, birds and mice. I was impressed with these well-organized processes. The more we looked into the detail, the less we knew and the more it attracted me. Later, there were other professors coming to show us certain system development. During that period of time, I learnt lots of experimental techniques to see or test gene expression as well as the way to logically analyze the pathways and links during development. Besides, we also learnt the backgrounds of ESCs and iPSCs, which are good materials to test our hypothesis and reconstruct organs in vitro. Although some parts were a little bit difficult to me, e.g. imaging the 3D gastrulation, I never thought of giving up or felt discouraged. In contrary, I grew strong ambition to figure them out. At that time, I set my dream as being a developmental biologist.

This year, I offered to be the teaching assistant of this course. Although I knew there would not be many students who become real developmental biologists in the future, the way of critical thinking and other information learnt from the course can also benefit us a lot in other fields. I liked it so much and I would like to recommend others to learn developmental biology as well.

Picture gallery

Do you want to share your experience of learning or teaching developmental biology? We’d love to hear from you!

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A PhD position is available in the laboratory of Néva P. Meyer at Clark University in Worcester, MA USA (https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nmeyer/) beginning as early as August 2019 as follows:

Spiralians are a great group of animals to study evolution of body plans in part because many spiralian taxa develop via a stereotypic and likely ancestral cleavage program. Ultimately, this cleavage program results in formation of highly diverse body plans with diverse arrangements of nervous systems, e.g. compare annelids and gastropod mollusks. Research in Dr. Meyer’s lab is currently focused on understanding how the central nervous system develops in annelids with the goal of gaining a better understanding of how nervous systems evolved. The research community that studies evolution and development of spiralians is rapidly growing and is very welcoming and collaborative.

The successful applicant will develop a project focused on molecular control of neural fate specification inthe annelid Capitella teleta, but this can be expanded to include other spiralians and different avenues ofresearch depending on the applicant’s interests and goals. Possible avenues of research include analysisof fate specification via blastomere isolation, genetic manipulation, and transcriptomic profiling. We havea lab colony of Capitella teleta, and techniques used in the lab include microinjection of embryos, qRTPCR, immunohistochemistry, imaging of live and fixed tissue, quantification of phenotypes using ImageJ,and gene knockdown and misexpression by injection of morpholinos and mRNA. We are also currentlydeveloping CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and single-cell RNA sequencing in C. teleta. There will be multipleopportunities for career development, including mentoring undergraduate and accelerated M.S. studentsin the lab, participating as a guest lecturer in courses taught by the PI, and attending national workshopssuch as the Embryology course at the Marine Biological Laboratories.

The successful applicant will enter Clark University’s Biology PhD program with an anticipated start datein late August. Previous experience in molecular biology and working with marine larvae and/orbioinformatics is desirable. Additionally, the Meyer lab is interested in creative, engaged applicants whocan contribute to diversity of the academic community, for example via outreach or mentoring studentsfrom historically underrepresented communities. The successful applicant will be guaranteed funding forfive years through a combination of research assistantships and teaching assistantships; two years ofresearch assistantship for this position are currently available.

Clark University is a small but active and highly-respected research university located in Worcester, MA.Worcester has a good combination of urban and outdoor activities and is in close proximity to a variety ofNew England destinations.

Please email a cover letter explaining your interest in the position and qualifications and a CV to nmeyer@clarku.edu

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The Marine Biological Laboratory seeks a highly motivated individual to join the laboratory of Dr. Kristin Gribble in the full time position of Research Assistant I, II, or III.  The successful applicant will contribute to our projects on the biology of aging, maternal effects on offspring health and lifespan, life history, evolution, and ecology using an aquatic invertebrate model system. The Gribble lab is housed within the Josephine Bay Paul Center, a collaborative research group addressing questions of microbial diversity, molecular evolution, and comparative genomics. Information about our research may be found at: http://mbl.edu/jbpc/gribble

Additional Information: Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, designing and conducting experiments, rotifer and phytoplankton culture, PCR, qPCR, protein extraction and analysis, microscopy, data entry and analysis, and general laboratory maintenance and organization. This position requires occasional work on weekends to accomplish long-term life table experiments. The position will be for 1 year, but may be extended beyond this period contingent upon progress and funding.

Basic Qualifications: Applicants should have a B.A./B.S., or M.A/M.S. in biology, cell/molecular biology, biochemistry, or a related field. This position requires an independent, organized, and self-motivated individual with robust problem-solving skills. Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills; attention to detail; and a strong work ethic are essential. Position level and salary will depend upon education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have one or more years of experience working in a research laboratory and will be familiar with standard laboratory practices and equipment. Previous experience with DNA, RNA, and protein extractions; next-generation sequencing library construction; PCR and qPCR; protein analysis; RNAi; microscopy; and bioinformatics is preferred. An understanding of basic molecular biology concepts is important.

Instructions: Apply at the MBL website and please provide the following required documents:

1. Cover letter describing your interests, skills, prior research experience, and motivation for joining the lab;
2. Curriculum vitae;
3. The names and contact information for three references (Please do not send letters at this time; we will contact references directly).

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The Company of Bioloists’ Workshops provide leading experts and early-career researchers from a diverse range of scientific backgrounds with a stimulating environment for the cross-fertilisation of interdisciplinary ideas. The programmes are carefully developed and are intended to champion the novel techniques and innovations that will underpin important scientific advances.

In November 2019, a Workshop on birth defects is being held with the aim of

dismantling boundaries between developmental biology and clinical birth defects research so that clinical findings can inform our understanding of the processes that construct a human being, which in turn can guide clinicians in order to deliver better care to patients.

Organised by Mustafa Khokha, Karen Liu and John Wallingford, it promises to be a great opportunity for clinical-basic collaboration.

There are around 10 funded places for early-career researchers available – a fantastic opportunity to share your research with leading scientists in an intimate setting.

Deadline for applications: 24 June 2019.

Find out more here:

biologists.com/workshops/november-2019/

If you’re interested in what early career scientists get out of attending workshops, why not read these these three recent Node posts from attendees:

• The alchemy of an inspiring conference: a workshop reflection, by Abby Buchwalter
• Echoes of “Chromatin-Based Regulation of Development” workshop OR “to TAD or not to TAD”?, by Martyna Lukoseviciute
• Reflections on the ‘Evo-chromo’ Workshop (November 2018), by Alexander Blackwell  and James Gahan

Or watch the following video summaries from recent Workshops:

Chromatin-Based Regulation of Development

Evo-chromo

Development and evolution of the human neocortex

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An exciting role is now available with The Company of Biologists to enhance the community content on our journal websites and grow our social media presence in China through our new WeChat channel.

We publish five important journals that serve the biological research community. All have effective marketing and a good social media presence. We now seek to extend our community engagement, increase awareness of our charitable activities and build on our connections with early-career
researchers.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated team player to support us in this initiative, which is initially planned as a one-year position as we determine future directions. Working with experienced marketing and editorial teams, you will be responsible for accurate and engaging short-form
content for the journal websites, generating WeChat content for our growing China-based audience, and writing stories about our grant recipients. We are open to new creative ideas.

Core responsibilities include:

• Engaging the scientific community through the journal websites and social media channels.
• Generating dynamic content ‘snippets’ to draw in readers.
• Developing our new WeChat channel to engage China-based researchers.
• Measuring usage and online behaviours to assess and guide strategies.
• Working with the marketing and editorial teams on other community engagement content such as video interviews and educational materials.

The successful applicant will have:

• A science degree, ideally in a field relevant to one or more of our journals.
• Experience with scientific communications such as social media, marketing or outreach.
• Ability to write accurate and engaging summaries for the non-specialist.
• Experience with a web content management system to create and publish web content.
• Experience with metrics (such as Google Analytics).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Confident networking abilities and strong interpersonal skills.

This is an exciting opportunity within a well-established publishing company. The role is based in our attractive modern offices on the outskirts of Cambridge, UK.

The Company of Biologists (biologists.com) exists to support biologists and inspire advances in biology. At the heart of what we do are our five specialist journals – Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open – two of them fully open access. All are edited by expert researchers in the field, and all articles are subjected to rigorous peer review. We take great pride in the experience of our editorial team and the quality of the work we publish. We believe that the profits from publishing the hard work of biologists should support scientific discovery and help develop future scientists. Our grants help support societies, meetings and individuals. Our workshops and meetings give the opportunity to network and collaborate.

To apply, please send your CV by email to recruitment@biologists.com along with a covering letter that states your current salary, summarises your relevant experience and explains why you are enthusiastic about this opportunity. You must be able to demonstrate your entitlement to work in the UK. Applications should be made as soon as possible and by 21 June (late applicants may be considered).

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A postdoc position is available in Uri Frank’s lab in Centre for Chromosome Biology, National University of Ireland, Galway. We study stem cells and regeneration in the cnidarian Hydractinia. This animal can regenerate a whole body from only tiny tissue fragments and is amenable to genome editing, live imaging, cell sorting by FACS, and transplantation. Due to its small size and translucent body, Hydractinia allows performing in vivo experiments that are difficult or impossible to conduct with most other animal models.

The research will be on the molecular mechanisms that drive cellular reprogramming during whole body regeneration in the absence of stem cells. For details, email Uri at <uri.frank@nuigalway.ie>. The position is funded by Wellcome Trust.

Read about our lab here: https://thenode.biologists.com/day-in-life-modern-lernaean/lablife/

You can see Hydractinia on The Node’s next year calendar: https://thenode.biologists.com/calendar-competition-and-the-winners-are/photo/

See also https://www.chromosome.ie/researchers/frank/

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