Post-doctoral researcher(s) in cellular and molecular neuroscience – University of Victoria

Swayne lab

The Swayne Lab in the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria is recruiting post-doctoral researchers, or research associates, in cellular and molecular neuroscience.

The research projects investigate cross-cellular mechanisms regulating dendritic spine stability. Experiments will involve transgenic models both in situ and in vitro, a variety of imaging techniques (confocal, super-resolution, two-photon microscopy), cell biological and biochemical tools as well as electrophysiology, and behavioural studies. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to apply and expand their expertise in neuron and astrocyte biology across these approaches in a dynamic and collaborative research environment that values integrity, teamwork, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

We encourage researchers who have obtained or will soon obtain their PhD with a demonstrated track record in cellular signaling and imaging research to apply. Previous experience with fluorescence imaging, transgenic models, and primary cell culture is especially valued.

Interested applicants are invited to send their CV, list of references, and brief statement of research interests to Dr. Leigh Anne Swayne: lswayne@uvic.ca.

Posting end date: 2023/10/15

Neuroscience Postdoctoral Scholar positions – University of Calgary

Duration: Minimum 2 years

Start date: Jan 2024 (negotiable)

Salary: TBD, plus medical benefits

 

The projects:

The Kurrasch Lab currently has three open postdoctoral positions (fully funded):

Project 1: Maternal microbiome and mechanistic impacts on the developing brain. This goal of this project is to define the mechanistic events that link adverse changes in the maternal gut to neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring, using mice as a model system.

Project 2: Embryonic neural sex differentiation. The goal of this project is to determine the programs driving sex dimorphic development of the hypothalamus in mice.

Project 3: Comparative study of adult hypothalamic plasticity. The goal of this project is to determine the role of immature neurons in the adult hypothalamic parenchyma across small and large-brained species.

All projects employ a variety of cutting-edge techniques: single cell ‘omics, advanced microscopy (including iDISCO), in utero electroporation, live cell imaging, behavioral monitoring, human brain organoids (where relevant). Responsibilities include generating, analyzing, graphing, and presenting results, as well as writing and submitting manuscripts. The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to generate new ideas in collaboration with the Principal Investigator. Daily the scholar will interact with other laboratory personnel, including helping to train graduate and undergraduates.

The postdoctoral fellow will join Dr Deborah Kurrasch’s laboratory in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Each position is fully funded.

Interested applicants please provide:

  • a cover letter with statement of research experience and interests,
  • curriculum vitae,
  • the names and contact information for three persons who have agreed to provide references.

Deadline for application is October 31, 2023.

Submit applications via email directly to Deborah Kurrasch, kurrasch@ucalgary.ca.

Please indicate PDF application in the subject line.

Download this advertisement (PDF file)

 

A Promising Non-Invasive Therapy to Promote Repair and Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis

Valerie Verge

Source of story: MS Canada website

Summary: Researchers find that a non-drug based treatment approach called acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH), which consists of short periods of reduced oxygen, reduces inflammation, protects nerve fibres, and promotes repair in mice with multiple sclerosis-like disease. While the findings of this study are promising, further research will need to assess whether this treatment has the same effect in people with MS.

Continue reading

Post-Doctoral Researcher Positions (Clinical research) – Neuropsychiatry Team Research Program at the University of Western Ontario

Post-Doctoral Researcher Positions are available to work on a newly funded Neuropsychiatry Team Research Program at the University of Western Ontario. Our program will be investigating the effects of adolescent exposure to nicotine on increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders in later life (see Addiction Biology, 26(2):e12891; Cerebral Cortex, 29:3140-3153; Neuropsychopharmacology, 39:2799-815, Drug Alcohol Depend, 215:108215). Experiments will comprise an integrative combination of functional brain imaging with fMRI, connectomics using diffusion tensor imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy measuring neurotransmitter levels in various neural targets of interest, including the prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. Studies will also use genomic approaches to examine and identify genetic biomarkers for nicotine-related and mood/anxiety disorder risks. Research will be conducted in patient populations with histories of adolescent nicotine exposure and mood/anxiety disorders selected from local clinics.

Selected applicants will have the opportunity to learn multiple neuroscience and neuropsychiatry-based research techniques while working in a team of leading experts in the fields of neuroimaging, neurodevelopment, behavioural neuroscience, genomics and mood/anxiety disorders.

We encourage applications from candidates with expertise in clinical neuropsychiatry, preferably with backgrounds in neuroimaging and/or genomic analyses.

Interested applicants should send expressions of interest and a current C.V. to: AddictionResearchGroup@protonmail.com

 

Post-Doctoral Researcher Positions (pre-clinical research) – Neuropsychiatry Team Research Program at the University of Western Ontario

Post-Doctoral Researcher Positions are available to work on a newly funded Neuropsychiatry Team Research Program at the University of Western Ontario. Our program will be investigating the effects of adolescent exposure to nicotine on increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders in later life (see Addiction Biology, 26(2):e12891; Cerebral Cortex, 29:3140-3153; Neuropsychopharmacology, 39:2799-815, Drug Alcohol Depend, 215:108215). Experiments will comprise an integrative combination of studies using pre-clinical rodent models (nicotine vaping exposure), neuroimaging, behavioural pharmacology, molecular analyses and in vivo neuronal electrophysiology. Pre-clinical studies will be translated into human imaging studies (magnetic resonance spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging, fMRI and genomic analyses) in patient populations with histories of adolescent nicotine exposure and mood/anxiety disorders.

Selected applicants will have the opportunity to learn multiple neuroscience and neuropsychiatry-based research techniques while working in a team of leading experts in the fields of neuroimaging, neurodevelopment, behavioural neuroscience, genomics and mood/anxiety disorders. We encourage applications from candidates with expertise in pre-clinical fields of neuroscience, preferably with backgrounds in translational neuropsychiatry research, behavioural pharmacology and neuronal electrophysiology.

Interested applicants should send expressions of interest and a current C.V. to: AddictionResearchGroup@protonmail.com

The Neuro – Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science Prizes

The Neuro – Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science Prizes Applications now accepted for

The Neuro – Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science Prizes

The Neuro-Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science Prizes, sponsored by the Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation, is an initiative in its third year from The Neuro’s Tanenbaum Open Science Institute.

The Prizes Recognize projects, services, tools, and platforms that unlock the power of Open Science in neuroscience to advance research, innovation, and collaboration for the benefit of health and society.

View more information about the International Prize and the Trainee prizes on the Neuro website:

at.theneuro.ca/cooperprizes

Application deadline: September 10, 2023
Applications and reference letters due by 23:59 EDT

Identification of a previously unknown mechanism controlling the interaction between astrocytes and blood vessels in the brain

Moises Freitas-Andrade and Baptiste Lacoste

Moises Freitas-Andrade, Baptiste Lacoste

Title of publication : Astroglial Hmgb1 regulates postnatal astrocyte morphogenesis and cerebrovascular maturation.

First author : Dr. Moises Freitas-Andrade

A new publication from Dr. Baptiste Lacoste’s laboratory at University of Ottawa identifies a previously unknown mechanism controlling the interaction between astrocytes and blood vessels in the brain.

Serving as bridges between neurons and blood vessels in the brain, astrocytes (a type of glial cells) send specialized extensions or ‘endfeet’ around blood vessels to help shape these vessels during development and later control cerebral blood flow (CBF). Astrocytes belong to the ‘neurovascular unit’ (NVU), a multi-cellular ensemble serving as a hub for neurovascular interactions. Despite a wealth of knowledge on astrocytes, and while we know these cells become mature after birth, little is known about the mechanisms driving their recruitment around brain blood vessels, or about their contribution to blood vessel maturation.

In this study, Dr. Lacoste’s team addresses these knowledge gaps not only by thoroughly characterizing the time course of astrocyte-blood vessel interactions in the early postnatal mouse brain, but also by assessing gene expression changes in astrocytes during that period. Doing so, the researchers identify an important molecular player produced by astrocytes, namely HMGB1, which controls their morphology, their placement around blood vessels, and the maturation of NVU.

Using genetic tools to block the production of HMGB1 protein selectively in astrocytes early after birth, Dr. Lacoste’s team shows that HMGB1 controls astrocyte morphogenesis and the maturation of endfeet around blood vessels. Lack of HMGB1 in astrocytes at birth impaired blood vessel maturation and resulted in surprising alterations of behavior in adult mice, that displayed an anxiety-like phenotype.

This study thus identifies a previously unknown mechanism controlling the interaction between astrocytes and blood vessels in the brain, helping scientists to better understand postnatal brain development and the contribution of non-neuronal cells to this process.

Publication: Freitas-Andrade, M., Comin, C.H., Van Dyken, P. et al. Astroglial Hmgb1 regulates postnatal astrocyte morphogenesis and cerebrovascular maturation. Nat Commun 14, 4965 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40682-3

Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology

https://www.uoguelph.ca/facultyjobs/postings/ad23-41.shtml

Faculty Positions
Position Title / Rank: Assistant Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology
College: College of Biological Science
Department: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Date Posted: July 13, 2023
Deadline: September 14, 2023
Please reference AD #23-41

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph invites applications from Black scholars for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor. We are seeking outstanding candidates whose research interests will complement existing strengths in the Department. The successful applicant is expected to establish an innovative and sustainable research program that will integrate with and expand the Department’s research strengths and offer new avenues for collaboration. We are particularly interested in candidates with research expertise in the following areas, especially those that bridge more than one:

  • Biochemistry and biochemical approaches, including enzymology, structural biology, membrane and nucleic acid biochemistry, enzymology, biophysics or other methods.
  • Molecular and cellular biology, including signal transduction, membrane-less organelles, or RNA biology using research models that include invertebrates, vertebrates, immortalized cell lines, or patient-derived stem cells focusing on biomedical applications.
  • Microbiology, immunology and virology, including host-pathogen interactions, immune response mechanisms, microbiome analysis, antimicrobial resistance and vaccine development for viral, fungal and bacterial pathogens.
  • Plant biology, synthetic biology and biotechnology, including engineering of metabolic pathways, genomics and computational biology, genetic circuit design, and plant/microbial interactions to enhance plant productivity.
  • Genetics, including epigenetic mechanisms, genomics and bioinformatics, molecular genetics, g ene regulation, and genetic diseases in plants, animals, and microbial systems.
  • Neuroscience, including neurobiology, neurophysiology, neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity, neuroimmunology, and the study of brain disorders using cellular and animal models.

Qualifications include a Ph.D., a preferred minimum of three years of relevant postdoctoral experience, a proven record of research excellence evident in high-quality publications and demonstrated potential to establish a competitive independent research program and secure external research funding. The successful candidate will join a dynamic, multidisciplinary, research-intensive department with 40 faculty members who study diverse biological systems at levels from molecules to cells that include Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, and Neuroscience and contributes to programs in Biological Science, Biomedical Science, and Plant Science. Faculty within the College of Biological Science are members of the Advanced Analysis Centre, which houses state-of-the-art equipment that include facilities for solution- and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, electron and confocal microscopy, and genomics. Graduate student training activities are focused on M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and faculty members also participate in programs such as Biotechnology, Biophysics, Bioinformatics, Neuroscience, Plant Science, and Toxicology.

Applicants must also demonstrate a commitment to effective and innovative teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The successful candidate will teach courses or parts of courses in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology to a diverse population of undergraduate and graduate students. At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion (https://uoguel.ph/ox2p9), critical thinking, solving complex problems, and creating a modern academic community. The willingness to work collaboratively with faculty and mentor students from various disciplines, cultures, and educational backgrounds is essential. The Department is a collegial, inclusive, and welcoming environment that values diversity and wellness among our members as key ingredients in our collective success. Therefore, the University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including groups traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to the further diver sification of our Institution.

This tenure-track faculty position is part of the University of Guelph’s Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative. Launched in June 2022, the Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative (BIHI) calls for hiring fifteen or more Black and Indigenous faculty and four or more Black and Indigenous professional staff across the University of Guelph during the next three years. The faculty and staff positions will be filled in areas that support the advancement of Black and Indigenous academic excellence and the University of Guelph’s commitments to inclusion, anti-racism, indigenization and decolonization.

The University of Guelph and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology seek qualified individuals who identify as persons of Black African or Caribbean descent. Applicants will be asked to self-identify through the Applicant Tracking Questionnaire (ATQ) facilitated by Diversity and Human Rights. We acknowledge the burden often placed on Black and Indigenous faculty regarding Indigenization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in workplaces and the challenges inherent to engaging in work that runs counter to entrenched paradigms. We also acknowledge how holding non-traditional research programs, conducting community-engaged research, holding traditional knowledge, community relationships, etc., can adversely impact researchers with respect to conventional measures of academic excellence.

The University of Guelph is the third largest employer in Guelph, a city of approximately 130,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of over 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

Assessment of applications will begin on September 14, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. 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 the 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.

Applications should be sent by email to the attention of:

Dr. Cezar Khursigara

Professor and Department Chair

Molecular and Cellular Biology

College of Biological Science

University of Guelph

Guelph, ON N1G 2W1

Email:mcbchair@uoguelph.ca

The overview of the proposed research statement should be a maximum length of two pages. This statement should:

  • Detail the candidate’s specific area of expertise, describing their contributions to the field.
  • Please 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 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 (https://uoguel.ph/ox2p9) 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 Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.

 

ThinkSci Outreach Program wins a CAN Advocacy Award

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience is proud to announce its support of the ThinkSci Outreach Program with a 2023 CAN Advocacy and Outreach award.

The “ThinkSci Outreach Program” is a workshop-based initiative organized and led by undergraduate and graduate students, with the goal of immersing high school seniors and 1st year CÉGEP students into the world of neurophysiology. Its long term goal is to reach local, regional and national underrepresented student communities in Canada. Continue reading

Investing in science will benefit all Canadians.

CAN is sharing with you the brief we have submitted to the House of Commons Finance (FINA), which is currently holding its consultations in advance of federal budget 2024. – our three recommendations are

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience recommends the following:

Recommendation 1: That the government double the budgets of the three main federal funding agencies: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for the benefit of all Canadians. This recommendation aims to bring Canadian investment in scientific research to a level commensurate to that of other G7 countries.

Recommendation 2: That the government of Canada double support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows by increasing both the value and number of fellowships awarded in the next budget. In conjunction with Recommendation 1, this recommendation will ensure our next generation of scientists have the means to participate fully in Canada’s knowledge economy.

Recommendation 3: That the government of Canada make research on the Brain and Mental Health a national priority by investing in research to understand the brain through well-established and trusted organizations in the field.

Read our full submission for the FINA pre-budget submission here: Continue reading