Postdoctoral fellowship - cell biology of prion infection

Prion diseases are fatal and infectious neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and characterized by the accumulation of a misfolded isoform of the cellular prion protein, termed PrPSc.
The project aims at studying the effects of PrPSc accumulation in the endo-lysosomal pathway of infected neurons, in particular on vesicle trafficking and cargo recycling. The overall goal is to investigate a link to neurodegeneration and to identify new targets for therapy using prion infected neuronal cell lines, primary neurons, organotypic slice cultures and mouse models of prion disease.
The successful applicant is expected to take on a leading role in study design, establishing methods such as organotypic slice cultures, co-supervision of graduate and undergraduate students as well as drafting manuscripts and assist in writing grant proposals.
The candidate is has the opportunity and is expected to apply for postdoctoral fellowships depending on eligibility.

Required skills and experience:
- PhD in neuroscience, cell biology, biochemistry or related field within 2 - 3 years of graduation
- appropriate scientific knowledge in cell biology and confocal microscopy, demonstrated by publications
- excellent English language skills
- able to work independently and as part of a team

Application package:
- cover letter staging motivation and interest for the topic
- CV including a list of publications with links
- a list with names of three references

Please send your application to sgilchucalgary.ca, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Prion Disease Research. For more information, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=gilch+s and visit our lab website www.ucalgary.ca/gilchlab.

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