| Overview | New Jersey’s academic health center, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) takes an integrated approach to educating students, providing clinical care, and conducting research, all with the goal of improving human health. Aligned with Rutgers University–New Brunswick and collaborating universitywide, RBHS includes eight schools, a behavioral health network, and five centers and institutes that focus on cancer treatment and research, neuroscience, advanced biotechnology and medicine, environmental and occupational health, and health care policy and aging research.
Our faculty are teachers, clinicians, and scientists with unparalleled experience who advance medical innovation and provide patient care informed by the latest research findings. We offer an outstanding education in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, nursing, biomedical research, and the full spectrum of allied health careers.
Our clinical and academic facilities are located throughout the state—at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, including Piscataway; and at locations in Newark, Scotch Plains, Somerset, Stratford, and other locations. Clinical partners include Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Newark’s University Hospital in Newark, and other affiliates.
Through this community of healers, scientists, and scholars, Rutgers is equipped as never before to transform lives. |
| Posting Summary | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is seeking a Student Assistant for the department of Neurology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The mission of the lab is to follow a network-based approach to understand the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (mainly Parkinson’s disease and secondarily Alzheimer’s disease), with the ultimate aim being to utilize this strategy to develop combination treatments. This strategy distinguishes our lab from a decades-long tradition in the field of zeroing in on specific genes and focusing on the development of monotherapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Simultaneously, the lab aspires to remain at the cutting edge in terms of cellular and molecular biology techniques and to advance the neurodegeneration field by developing innovative tools and technologies that we will share with the research community. To achieve those goals, we are currently using mammalian cell lines (including stable cell lines) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) as model systems, as well as human brain tissue. In the future, and as our research program advances, we will expand our toolkit to also include mouse work and computational analyses of large omics datasets. Some of the techniques we use include standard cell and molecular biology techniques, flow cytometry, microscopy (standard imaging and FRET, FLIM, FRAP), high throughput genetic and chemical screens, single cell and spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, genomics, optogenetics and histology. Lab website: eleannakaralab.com
Previous research experience is required. It is also expected that the incumbent is comfortable working independently under the direction of the Principal Investigator and already has a good understanding of the techniques used in the lab. This position is ideal for somebody looking to gain high quality research experience and improve their research skills and resume before going to graduate school (PhD, MD or MD/PhD). Under the direction of the Principal Investigator, Dr. Eleanna Kara, the incumbent will work on a project in a laboratory dedicated to studying the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease, identifying therapeutic targets and testing new therapeutic agents. S/He will work in a new lab as part of a highly integrated research team utilizing a variety of laboratory technologies and approaches. Appropriate training in all techniques necessary for the project will be provided. The incumbent must have a genuine interest in research and in the work undertaken in our lab and be committed to improve their research skills and progressively develop research competence; those attributes will be assessed during the interview. Exceptional support will be provided to the recruits in that direction, and it is anticipated that the incumbent will take full advantage of the training and professional development opportunities provided. The applicant will join in ongoing research projects. Contributions to our research will be appropriately acknowledged through co-authorship on published manuscripts.
Among the key duties of this position are the following: - Carry out studies with cultured cell lines and iPSc derived neurons.
- Optimize assays to model and study specific disease processes of neurodegenerative diseases and miniaturize them to enable high throughput screens.
- Perform high throughput genetic and chemical screens.
- Perform proteomics, lipidomics, genomics and transcriptomics experiments and analyses, in collaboration with core facilities at Rutgers.
- Undertake histology, genetics and biochemistry experiments on human neuropathological materials.
- Perform molecular biology experiments that involve cloning of specific cDNAs in various vectors including viral vectors, PCR, sequence analyses, transcription assays, Western blotting, DNAprotein interaction, and cell biologic studies.
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