Researcher Neurobiology with focus on the basal ganglia - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Organismal Biology teaches and explores the evolution, development and function on the organismal level. For more information see www.iob.uu.se. The position in placed at the department of Comparative physiology, in the research group headed by Professor Åsa Mackenzie.

Project description: The basal ganglia supports initiation of movement and also participates in mechanisms of relevance to impulse control and anxiety. Faulty activity in the basal ganglia is correlated with movement disability in Parkinson´s disease, and has also been implicated in certain neuropsychiatric disorders. Clinically, basal ganglia structures, most prominently the subthalamic nucleus, are main targets in deep-brain-stimulation (DBS)-strategies to correct aberrant brain activity and restore motor function. Our lab is focused on increasing the knowledge of the subthalamic nucleus and its network to provide the basic neurobiological knowledge needed to improve treatment selectivity in DBS-applications. The project approach is pre-clinical and focused on neurocircuitry analysis in the context of behavioral regulation.

Duties: Plan and conduct experimental work including neurocircuitry, behavioral, pharmaceutical and histological analysis, as well as maintenance of rodents. Plan and conduct viral-genetic and pharmacological experiments for behavior analysis. Teaching as basal level as well as laboratory supervision of students.

Requirements: The applicant must have:

• PhD degree in medical or pharmaceutical science with focus on neuroscience/neurobiology/pharmacology.
• Experience of viral-genetic experiments in vivo.
• Experience of stereotaxical procedures (probes implantation, virus injection and intracranial drugs administration)
• Experience of surgical implantation of jugular catheters for long term systemic administration of pharmaceutical compunds.
• Experience of in vivo amperometry, microdialysis and HPLC measurements.
• Experience of behavior analysis with focus on the basal ganglia,and in particular the subthalamic nucleus .
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken, as well as experience of scientific writing in English.
• Experience in teaching in Neurobiology or similar topic at graduate level, as well as supervision of PhD students.
• FELASA certificate or other at similar level. 
• Certificate to use experimental viruses security level II.

Personal characteristics such as good communication skills, cooperative ability and ability to work independently as well as in group/team are important as are also scientific maturity and quality.

 Additional qualifications:

• Good knowledge in Photoshop/GIMP, Word, Inkscape, ImageJ and statistical analysis program such as Prism.
• Molecular biology such as RT-PCR, PCR and microRNA analysis.
• Pedagogical training to conduct supervision at the level of PhD education.
• Post-doctoral experience in the neuroscience research area.

Application: Your application should be written in English and contain your CV including listing of education, previous jobs, and other merits of importance to the position. A personal letter containing a description of how you fulfil the qualifications required for the position, as listed above.

Uppsala University strives to be an inclusive workplace that promotes equal opportunities and attracts qualified candidates who can contribute to the University’s excellence and diversity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and from people of all backgrounds.

Salary: Individual salary.

Starting date: 01-01-2020 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position ending 31-12-2021

Scope of employment: 100%

For further information about the position please contact: Åsa Mackenzie, email asa.mackenzie@ebc.uu.se

Please submit your application by 29 November 2019, UFV-PA 2019/3916.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? If so, you will find a lot of information about working and living in Sweden at www.uu.se/joinus. You are also welcome to contact International Faculty and Staff Services at ifss@uadm.uu.se.