University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Job Description Summary

The Prosser Lab is developing novel therapies for rare, genetic Epilepsies and Neuro-Developmental Disorders (ENDD therapeutics team). It is pursuing antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) and small molecule-based strategies to correct for gene deficiencies that lead to pediatric encephalopathies. The Prosser lab collaborates with other ENDD teams, including the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Heller, to study the mechanisms by which epigenetic remodeling regulates gene function and is pursuing the use of epigenetic editing tools, such as CRISPR/dCas9-fusion proteins, for the correction of such gene deficiencies.  While these approaches hold potential to treat a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders, our current focus is encephalopathy caused by mutations in STXBP1 and SYNGAP1.  

We seek to hire a Senior Research Investigator for our collaborative team to develop new treatments for pediatric brain disease.  The primary appointment will be in Physiology, while working in partnership with the Penn Epigenetics Institute and Dr. Heller.  The team collaborates closely with the pharmaceutical industry and other labs throughout campus.

Job Description

Duties:

• Design and perform cell and molecular biology experiments
• Process, analyze, and interpret next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and large-scale biomedical data
• Write and maintain technical protocols
• Contribute to manuscript writing and grant proposal submissions
• Coordinate and interface with collaborators at Penn and in industry
• Purchase supplies and reagents
• Present research results at meetings and seminars
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry or related field. 5-7 years of relevant postdoctoral experience. Expertise in molecular biology is required; knowledge of bioinformatics, RNA biology, neurobiology, chromatin biology, and antisense technologies are preferred.  Expertise demonstrated by published papers in peer reviewed scientific journals is required as are excellent written and oral communication skills.

This position is contingent on grant funding.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range
$35,568.00 - $204,000.00

Affirmative Action Statement

Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements

Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.