Assistant Professor, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Guelph

Position Description:

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph invites applications for a tenure-track position, at the rank of Assistant Professor, in the area of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease.

We are seeking outstanding candidates whose research interests focus on signal transduction, membraneless organelles, or RNA biology in the context of cancer or neurological disorder. Individuals investigating these topics at the molecular or systems level in a variety of research models including vertebrates, immortalized cell lines, and/or patient-derived stem cells are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate may have expertise in a wide range of experimental approaches, including biochemical, imaging, pharmacological, immunological, advanced -omics technologies, or other relevant strategies. The successful applicant is expected to establish an innovative and sustainable research program that will integrate with, and expand, the research strengths of the Department, and offer new avenues for collaboration.

Qualifications include a Ph.D., a preferred minimum of two years of relevant post-doctoral experience, a proven record of research excellence evident in high-quality publications and demonstrated potential to establish a competitive independent research program and secure research funding. The successful candidate must also demonstrate the potential to provide effective and innovative teaching to a diverse population of graduate and undergraduate students, and will be committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and multicultural competence in an educational and work environment.

A culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative at the University of Guelph as this is vital to advancing innovation, critical thinking, solving complex problems, and creating a modern academic community. Willingness to work collaboratively with faculty and to mentor students from a wide range of disciplines, cultures, and academic backgrounds is essential. Therefore, we invite and encourage applications from all qualified individuals, especially from groups that are underrepresented in higher education. The Department is a collegial, inclusive, and welcoming environment that values diversity, and wellness among our members as key ingredients in our collective success.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic, multidisciplinary, research-intensive department with 44 faculty members who study diverse biological systems at levels from molecules to cells. The Department is the home of undergraduate programs in Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Neuroscience, and contributes to programs in Biological Science, Biomedical Science, and Plant Science. Graduate training activities include programs offering M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and a Master of Biotechnology degree. Faculty members also participate in cross-department programs, including Bioinformatics, Biophysics, Neuroscience, Plant Science, and Toxicology. The successful applicant will be expected to develop a creative and independent research program, sustained by external funding from national/provincial agencies, and contribute to graduate and undergraduate training.

The University of Guelph is the second largest employer in Guelph, a city of approximately 130,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. The University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of about 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across over 40 academic units. The University is known for its commitment to student learning, innovative research, and collaboration with world-class partners. It is a unique place, with transformative research and teaching and a distinctive campus culture. People who learn and work here are shaped and inspired by a shared purpose: To Improve Life. Reflecting that shared purpose in every experience connected to our University positions us to create positive change, here, and around the world. Our University community shares a profound sense of social responsibility, a drive for international development, and an obligation to address global issues.

Application Process:

Interested candidates should submit the following materials as a single PDF file: (1) a cover letter indicating area(s) of research focus; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) an overview of proposed research program (max. 1500 words; see below for additional details); (4) a teaching statement (max. 500 words); (5) a separate statement describing the strategies you will use to promote inclusion and support a diverse community in your research lab and classrooms (max. 500 words); and (6) contact information of three references. Assessment of applications will begin on October 31, 2020 and will continue until the position is filled.

Applications should be sent by email to the attention of:

Dr. Nina Jones

Search Committee Chair

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

College of Biological Science

University of Guelph

Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1

Email: mcbchair@uoguelph.ca

The overview of proposed research statement should be a maximum length of 1500 words (~ 3 pages) of 12pt font. This statement should:

  • Detail the candidate’s specific area of expertise, with a description of their contributions to the field.
  • Provide a detailed plan of their future independent research program, and how this program might be leveraged to obtain extramural funding.
  • Indicate how the candidate’s research program will synergize with the Department’s research environment.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Guelph recognizes that applicants may have had obligations outside of work that have negatively impacted their record of achievements (e.g., parental, elder care, and/or medical). You are not required to disclose these obligations in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these obligations do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

The University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and we offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

If you require a medical accommodation during the recruitment or selection process, please contact the University of Guelph Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.

Contact information

Applications should be sent by email to the attention of:

Dr. Nina Jones

Search Committee Chair

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

College of Biological Science

University of Guelph

Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1

Email: mcbchair@uoguelph.ca

Posting end date

2020/10/31

CAN Trainee research feature: Claire Gizowski, McGill University

Watch this week’s CAN Trainee Research feature, with Claire Gizowski, who recently obtained her PhD at McGill University, working with Dr. Charles Bourque. She presents the publication:

Gizowski C, Bourque CW. Sodium regulates clock time and output via an excitatory GABAergic pathway. Nature. 2020 Jul;583(7816):421-424. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2471-x.

Dr. Gizowski is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California in San Francisco https://profiles.ucsf.edu/claire.gizowski

More videos are also available here, with submission instructions

https://can-acn.org/can-trainee-research-features/

CAN Trainee research feature: Nuria Daviu, Hotchkiss Brain Institute

CAN Trainee research features are a new opportunity for Canadian neuroscience trainees to showcase their research through short video features. We aim to make this a weekly feature and to share on our website and social media accounts, so please consider submitting a proposal to us!

This week’s feature is Nuria Daviu, a researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Jaideep Bains, at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

Read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0591-0

Videos are also available here, with submission instructions

https://can-acn.org/can-trainee-research-features/

Check it out!

CAN Trainee Research Feature: Tasnia Rahman, McGill University

We are excited to launch a new opportunity for Canadian neuroscience trainees to showcase their research through short video features.  We aim to make this a weekly feature and to share on our website and social media accounts, so please consider submitting a proposal to us.  We would love to feature your research!

This week’s feature is: Tasnia Rahman, McGill University – Stentian structural plasticity in the developing visual system


Tasnia Rahman is a researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Edward Ruthazer at McGill University.

Read the paper here: https://www.pnas.org/content/117/20/10636

Videos will be also available here, with submission instructions

https://can-acn.org/can-trainee-research-features/

Congratulations to the Royal Society of Canada Class of 2020

Royal Society of Canada class of 2020

Congratulations to the Canadian neuroscientists newly elected fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, and to the incoming class of the college of new scientists.

“The Royal Society of Canada is delighted to recognise this year’s exceptional cohort of inductees, as the contributions of these outstanding artists, scholars and scientists have significantly impacted their respective disciplines at both national and international levels.” says RSC President Jeremy McNeil.
Congratulations to the following Canadian neuroscientists elected to this prestigious Society!

Continue reading

Vascular development may be at risk in autism

Early deficits in the formation of brain blood vessels translate into later autistic traits in miceBaptiste LAcoste OHRI

A Canadian collaboration led by Dr. Baptiste Lacoste has undertaken the first ever in-depth study of vasculature in the autistic brain. The product of four years of work, a paper published in the September issue of Nature Neuroscience lays out several lines of novel evidence that strongly implicate defects in endothelial cells—the lining of blood vessels—in autism.

Dr. Lacoste, a scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and an assistant professor in the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine and Brain and Mind Research institute, heads a lab that specializes in neurovascular interactions in health and disease. In collaboration with researchers at McGill University, Laval University, and the National Research Council of Canada, Dr. Lacoste’s team used a mouse model with one of the most common genetic mutations found in autism spectrum disorder—16p11.2 deletion, or “16p” for short. Continue reading

Unlocking the mysteries of the brain

Roberto Araya
Roberto Araya

A research team at CHU Sainte-Justine highlights the mechanisms underlying memory and learning capacity – specifically, how our brains process, store and integrate information.

How does our brain store information?

Seeking an answer, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal have made a major discovery in understanding the mechanisms underlying learning and memory formation.

The results of their study are presented in Nature Communications.

Led by Professor Roberto Araya, the team studied the function and morphological transformation of dendritic spines, tiny protrusions located on the branches of neurons, during synaptic plasticity, thought to be the underlying mechanism for learning and memory. Continue reading

Postdoctoral position in Montreal on immune mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease – Trudeau laboratory

Dr. Louis-Eric Trudeau’s laboratory at the Université de Montréal (University of Montreal) (www.labotrudeau.org) is looking for a post-doctoral fellow to join a team of scientists working on the connectivity and vulnerability of dopamine neurons. The ideal candidate will have previous training in cellular and molecular neuroscience, including physiological approaches, in neuroimmunology and interest in the immune mechanisms implicated in Parkinson’s disease. Preference will be given to candidates that have a track record including publications as first author and that are already in Canada or who can easily travel to Canada.

Interested individuals should email the lab principal investigator at: louis-eric.trudeau@umontreal.ca
Posting end date:  2020/12/31

Post-doctoral fellow position on the behavioural neuroscience of reward- Samaha laboratory – Universite de Montreal

Dr Anne-Noel Samaha’s laboratory at the Université de Montréal is looking for a post-doctoral fellow. I will hire someone whose primary expertise is in the behavioural neuroscience of reward.

Training in complementary techniques such as in vivo optogenetics, DREADDs, and in molecular biology assays is also important. The research work involves characterizing the neurobehavioural effects of different intravenous cocaine self-administration procedures in the rat.

If you have this expertise and are interested, please email anna.samaha@umontreal.ca

See also
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=samaha+AN+montreal&sort=date

Candidates in Canada or who can easily travel to Canada will be given preference.

Contact information:

anna.samaha@umontreal.ca