Postdoctoral Fellow, IBRI Diabetes Center (Neural Mechanisms) - Indiana Biosciences Research Institute Inc

We are the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI). We are a leading translational research institute that advances academic and industry science through collaboration to improve patient health outcomes. Building your career at the IBRI in Indianapolis’ 16 Tech Innovation District means being part of a team of renowned scientists, creative thinkers, and innovative leaders.

Today’s research is being driven by significant advances in our abilities to study complex disease processes and propose new ways to improve patients’ lives. To reflect the evolving nature of life sciences research and encourage synergies through collaboration, we are enhancing our integrated capabilities, adding depth to how we approach patient-informed translational science and pursuing four foundational areas of scientific focus. These four areas will provide us the core talent and capability to pursue translational science in this new patient-centric framework: 

• Disease, Systems, Pathways – We are working to better understand diabetes and identify new ways to combat the disease. We are applying this learning to other diseases that share common systems and pathways.
• Molecular Innovation – We are developing new capabilities for molecular design and drug discovery to investigate disease processes and pursue new therapeutic approaches.
• Integrated Data Sciences – We are pursuing advanced data sciences to create novel end-user inspired solutions that address complex analysis, simulation, and prediction across the translational sciences. 
• Enabling Technologies – We are building a rich platform of enabling technologies that give our scientists, partners, and collaborators access to the best tools to solve complex scientific problems.

The IBRI’s vision is to build a world-class organization of researchers, innovators and business professionals that catalyze activities across the Indiana (and beyond) life sciences community. To achieve that vision, we look for curious and collaborative team members who are energized by innovation, guided by integrity, and inspired by diversity.

The Opportunity:

A Postdoctoral Researcher position is available at the IBRI Diabetes Center in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Flak. The research focus of the Flak Lab is to progress diabetes and obesity treatment by understanding the neural mechanisms that control energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis.

The selected candidate will participate in a team working with mouse models for diabetes and obesity, surgical techniques to target groups of cells in the brain, study of these mice following distinct treatments, and developing new molecular tools. A strong understanding of neuroscience, metabolism and/or glucose homeostasis is desired. A background in molecular biology would be a plus. The selected candidate will be excited and motivated to help develop the research program for the lab. Experiments will involve a combination of bench work, animal work and surgical techniques.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and conduct state-of-the-art scientific experiments with mouse models of disease, initially with supervision and then progressively independent work, including:
  • Conventional PCR and qPCR genotyping
  • Mouse colony management
  • Immunohistochemical approaches on mouse CNS tissue
  • Surgical approaches, especially CNS-driven, on mice to study obesity and diabetes
  • Glycemic and metabolic experiments in mice
• Accurately document and publish research findings. 
• Actively support applications for grants and sponsored research funding proposals.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Neuroscience, Physiology or a related field is required.
• Relevant experience in general biological laboratory work (protein, DNA/RNA and cell-based techniques) is required.
• Experience in animal handling and research at the bench is required.
• Experience in neuroanatomy or whole animal physiology is a plus.
• Experience with managing a mouse colony is a plus.
• Experience with molecular biology is a plus.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The IBRI provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.