A postdoctoral scholar position is available in the lab of Dr. Kelsey Martin at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. We are seeking self-motivated, creative and collaborative team member(s) with a recent PhD in neuroscience, genomics, RNA biology, or cell biology.

The successful candidate is expected to develop a research program for the systematic study of molecular changes at the transcriptional or translational level during long-term plasticity, using neuronal cell cultures and tissues as model systems. The Martin lab currently focuses on the mechanisms of synapto-nuclear signaling (Ch’ng et al., Cell, 150(1):227; Ch’ng et al., Front Mol Neurosci, 8:48; Herbst and Martin, Curr Opin Neurobiol.,45:78), and the regulation of transcriptional and post-transcriptional programs during synaptic plasticity (Kim and Martin, Elife, 4:e04158; Lee et al., Neuron, 89(1):113; Chen et al., Front Mol Neurosc, 10:39; Fontes et al., Sci Rep, 7(1):17377). We understand that an individual candidate may not possess all of the methods listed below, but we are looking for new team members skilled in the techniques of genomics, RNA biology or cell biology. We are a highly collaborative team of project scientists, graduate students and technologists within the Department of Biological Chemistry. The department and the wider neurosciences community at UCLA provides a highly interactive and stimulating environment for young scientists and a great infrastructure of expertise and core services.

Essential job duties and responsibilities

  • Conceive of and work independently on research projects under the supervision of the principal investigator and project scientists
  • design, conduct and troubleshoot experiments
  • collect, analyze and prepare data for publication and grant proposals
  • present data at national and international meetings
  • collaborate with other lab members and mentor undergraduates

Educational Requirements

  • Must hold a doctoral degree, preferably with expertise in neuroscience, genomics, RNA biology, or cell biology.

Preferred Skills and Experience

  • outstanding record of primary author publications from prior training
  • record of grants or fellowships awarded during graduate studies
  • excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • molecular and cellular biology techniques including immunostaining, microscopy, immunoprecipitation, molecular cloning, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, transfection, RNA extraction, in situ hybridization, and lentivirus production
  • experience working with rodent models, cell culture, and primary neuronal cultures
  • experience preparing samples for and bioinformatics analysis of data from sequencing technologies such as RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, Hi-C/3C-Seq/Capture-C and iCLIP-seq
  • knowledge in statistical analysis

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy

Qualified candidates can apply through this link https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF04862.