Parolia Laboratory at the Rogel Cancer Center is looking for an energetic, highly motivated individual to join our cancer biology and therapeutic team as a post-doctoral fellow. Candidates who enjoy a fast-paced lab environment focused on basic science and translational chromatin/epigenetic cancer research are encouraged to apply.

This position is ideal for a recent (or soon to be) PhD graduate who is interested in strengthening their experimental, analytical, and publishing skills before transitioning to independence within academia or bio-pharma industry. Transferring these skills to future scientists is central to the Parolia Lab's mission (see below for details). The candidate will work as part of a small research team (comprising 2 to 3 individuals) to functionally interrogate epigenetic and chromatin regulatory proteins that activate key cancer-fueling pathways in hormone-driven (i.e., prostate and breast) cancers. They will also assess druggability of these genes using novel inhibitory/degrader drugs in preclinical models.

The individual should be familiar with routine molecular biology techniques and have an educational background in biomedical sciences or related subjects. The candidate will work under direct supervision of the Principal Investigator Dr. Abhijit Parolia an Assistant Professor in Pathology & Urology in the Michigan medical school. The candidate will be provided thorough training in all tasks required as part of the job and will be involved in collaborative and intellectually engaging translational research.

• 2D monolayer cell culture maintenance: Culture adherent and suspension cells, plate cells for experiments, generate cryo-frozen stocks and maintain detailed record of the cell line bank.
• Generation and maintenance of 3D organoids: Virally-engineer normal and cancerous prostate organoids from mouse and human donors to interrogate the functional role of chromatin and epigenetic driver oncogenes in transformation and metastatic progression. 
• In vitro characterization of drug lead compounds in cancer cell lines: Calculate of IC50, perform proliferation assays etc.
• Functional assays: Perform protein and RNA extraction from cells and tumor tissue, western blot, co-immunoprecipitation, qPCR, ELISA assay, gDNA extraction, T7 endonuclease assay, bacterial transformation and plasmid propagation, DNA cloning and point mutagenesis. 
• Generation of CRISPR-Cas9-engineered models: Engineer cancer cells using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique to either knock-out or knock-in genes-of-interest and generate monoclonal lines.
• Perform phenotypic characterization of successfully engineered clones and employ them in high-throughput CRISPR screens.
• Maintaining mouse colonies: this work will involve restraining SCID, FVB, and NSG mice, ear tagging, tumor measuring, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and intra-cardiac injections of cells to generate tumor models, bioluminescence Imaging, and animal necropsy.
• Other wet-lab techniques or assays maybe involved depending on how the project progresses. 

• PhD (or equivalent) in Biomedical Sciences or related subjects.

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background screenings.  Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.

Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally.  Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

About University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A great university is made so by its faculty and staff, and Michigan is recognized as one of the best universities to work for in the country. The Michigan culture is known for engaging faculty and staff in all facets of the university to create a workplace that is vibrant and stimulating.For two consecutive years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has placed U-M in its "Great Colleges to Work For" survey. In particular, the university earns high marks for strong relations between faculty and administrators, a collaborative system of governance, strong pay and benefits, and a healthy work/life balance.

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