Investigator: Alexander Chesler, Ph.D.
Affiliation:Sensory Cells and Circuits Section
Position Type:Postdoctoral Fellowship
Description:
Postdoctoral positions are available in the Chesler lab, in the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s Division of Intramural Research at NIH, beginning in 2019, to study mechanisms of touch and pain. We are looking for people with diverse backgrounds who can handle many projects and like working as a team, building things, coding, microscopes, and general mayhem.
Our lab seeks to understand the molecules, cells, and neural circuits that generate innocuous and noxious sensations and uncover how perception is altered by context (e.g., during chronic pain). For our studies we use a wide range of techniques, including genetics, electrophysiology, and in vivo imaging (Ghitani et al. 2017, Neuron) as well as behavioral measurements in mice (Barik et al. in press, Neuron). In parallel, we collaborate with researchers at the NIH Clinical Center to examine patients with rare inherited disorders and other conditions affecting somatosensation (Chesler et al. 2016, New England Journal of Medicine). A major emphasis is combining clinical and basic science to advance our understanding of pain mechanisms (Szczot et al. 2018, Science Translational Medicine).
The lab is located in the Porter Neuroscience Research Center (https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/john-edward-porter-neuroscience-research-center), which brings together over 80 neuroscience labs, providing ample opportunity for interaction and collaboration. Candidates will have access to state-of-the-art technology, including two-photon and light-sheet microscopy for imaging of live and cleared tissues, generation of mouse models using CRISPR-assisted homologous recombination, slice and multichannel electrophysiology, and behavioral tracking systems with integrated multisite fiber photometry and closed loop optogenetics, as well as outstanding stipend support.
Candidates must have a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. and a record of research productivity. Experience in imaging, electrophysiology (in vitro and/or in vivo), coding, and/or mouse behavior would (of course) be a serious plus.
Application Instructions:
Interested candidates should send a few paragraphs to Alex Chesler at
alexander.chesler@nih.gov outlining their experience, future goals, and what aspect of our work interests them most. Please also include a CV and contact information for three references.
- Alexander Chesler, Ph.D.
- Stadtman Investigator
- Porter Neuroscience Research Center
- Convent Drive 35A 35, 1D822
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- Office: (301) 594-1049
- Fax:
- Lab :
- NIH AND DHHS ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS
- The Last Update : 10/31/2018