About the role
Pay Grade: 90E
Context of the Job
The Caplan Lab is seeking a qualified candidate for a postdoctoral position focused on the function of chloroplast stromules in intracellular and cell-to-cell signaling. The individual would be part of a research group that focuses on microscopy and proteomics-based approaches to understand the role of dynamic organelle morphology and movement during calcium and reactive oxygen species immune signaling. The position comes with a competitive salary with full benefits and will be located at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (www.dbi.udel.edu) within the new AP Biopharma Innovation Center at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Major Responsibilities
The successful candidate will lead a research project examining how chloroplast stromules are integrated into calcium and reactive oxygen species signaling pathways during plant innate immunity. Specifically, the individual will bridge two related funded projects; one project focuses on the role of chloroplast stromules and positioning in intracellular signaling and the other on cell-to-cell signaling between plant hosts and microbial pathogens. A main aim of this research is to investigate reactive oxygen species and their interplay with calcium generated in chloroplasts. This project will also examine how extracellular vesicles can induce or inhibit these responses. The overall team is multidisciplinary with members having expertise in molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, biochemistry and machine learning. The successful candidate will bring expertise in cell biology and will lead the advanced live-cell microscopy portion of the project.
Minimum Qualifications
- A Ph.D. in cell biology, plant molecular biology, plant pathology, or related field. Expertise in microscopy is required, and experience with spinning disk confocal microscopy, super-resolution Airyscan or STED microscopy, and/or live-cell plant microscopy is preferred.
- Basic skills in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and transient expression in Nicotiana are required.
- Mastery of written and spoken communication in English is essential.
- Those who are highly motivated to conduct cutting-edge research and work well in a team-oriented environment are encouraged to apply.