Opportunity Details
Department of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Research
Assistant Professor
Research Assistant Professor to study RNA Genomics in Neurodegenerative Diseases #1010789
The Cruchaga Lab, member of the Neurogenomics and Informatics Center (NGI) at Washington University School of Medicine invites applications for a non-tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Research Assistant Professor to study the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and Transposable elements (TE) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
CircRNAs is a new category of non-coding RNAs that result from backsplicing events and are highly expressed in the central nervous system, especially in synapses. Recently, our group identified significant associations between circRNA expression and AD diagnosis, clinical dementia and neuropathological severity. We developed the first human brain atlas of circRNAs. Based on these and other recent findings, Dr. Cruchaga has two new NIH-funded projects to identify additional circRNA, TE in large and well-characterized AD cohorts.
We are looking for investigators with expertise in RNA biology, high dimensional analysis of RNA-seq data, circRNAs and TE in neuroscience to lead these analyses. The successful candidate will join an already stablished team that include senior and junior scientist as well as Postdocs and PhD students that will also be involved on these projects.
Recent publications on the subject:
Dube U, et al. Nat Neurosci. 2019. PMID: 31591557 | Chen HH, et al. Acta Neuropathol. Commun. 2022, PMID: 35246267 | Bellenguez C, et al. Nat Genet. 2022, PMID: 35379992 | Ibanez, L. Genes (Basel). 2021. PMID: 34440421
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible for developing end-to-end an innovative project studying circRNAs and Transposable Elements in Alzheimer’s disease
Lead, develop, and troubleshoot specific analyses
Multi-task projects and keeping pace in a dynamic research environment
Present research advances at a variety of internal and external seminars
Lead manuscript writing.
Direct, coordinate and supervise laboratory personal
Ability to mentor students and research staff
The Cruchaga Lab provides a unique collaborative scientific environment emphasizing the analysis of functional genomics and high dimensional omics data to understand Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The Lab is member of the NGI that includes faculties with expertise in genetics, genomics, multi-omics, machine learning, iPSC, animal models of neurodegenerative diseases and Clinical research. The new faculty member will work in a collegial environment in a well-stablished, well-funded research group, currently 35+ dynamic members, developing bioinformatics tools and analyzing multi omics data to explore the frontiers of Alzheimer’s disease.
Basic Qualifications
The candidate must hold a PhD or MD in a relevant discipline, at least 3 years of postdoctoral experience, strong publication record in RNA biology, advanced bioinformatics background and experience multitasking scientific projects.
Diversity is a core value at Washington University School of Medicine and in the Department of Psychiatry. We are committed to building and sustaining inclusive and equitable working and learning environments for all students, staff, trainees, and faculty. We believe that building a diverse team enriches us individually and as a department by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. More details can be found here.
Preferred Qualifications
PhD or MD with 5 years of postdoctoral experience
Prominent record of research achievements in RNA biology
Demonstrated expertise in RNA-seq and genetic analysis ((DESeq2, DCC, Salmon, Star, Picard, FastQC, MultiQC, RATTLE, Docker, PLINK, IBD, PCA, association analyses, R, Bash) and omic data integration
Independent in literature search and keeping abreast of new scientific developments
Good, communications and writing skills
Demonstrable commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
The Cruchaga Lab provides a unique collaborative scientific environment emphasizing the analysis of functional genomics and high dimensional omics data to understand Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The Lab is member of the NGI that includes faculties with expertise in genetics, genomics, multi-omics, machine learning, iPSC, animal models of neurodegenerative diseases and Clinical research. The new faculty member will work in a collegial environment in a well-stablished, well-funded research group, currently 35+ dynamic members, developing bioinformatics tools and analyzing multi omics data to explore the frontiers of Alzheimer’s disease.
Christina Gleason
10/12/2022
No end date
7/8/2023
An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. It is the university’s policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, veteran status, disability, or genetic information. Washington University seeks an exceptionally qualified and diverse faculty; women, minorities, protected veterans and candidates with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.