Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Stem Cell Transplantation

Start Date: Immediate

Faculty/Admin Area: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Department/Unit: Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine

Job Term: Up to two years (depending on performance).  Applicant will be expected to apply for external funding on an annual basis.

 Nature of the Work:

 The Fellow reports to Dr. John Matyas, a Professor in the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine), and will interact with a team of other basic science faculty and with transplant surgeons who have an interest in the translational aspect of the research project. The fellow will work in a basic science research laboratory located in the Health Research Innovation Centre, a part of the Health Sciences Centre, at the University of Calgary.

Primary Purpose of the Position (Key purpose, functions, roles):

 The Fellow will assist in creating bone marrow chimeric animals to study the fate of GFP-labeled stem cells in preclinical models of tissue healing. The primary role of the PDF is to provide high-level technical expertise in the day-to-day experiments on this funded project, as well as data analysis, and preparation of results for publication.  The primary analyses include identifying and quantifying GFP-lableled bone marrow stem cells in healing tissues (skeleton, skin, and nerve) by fluorescence and immunohistochemistry.  We seek a highly motivated, independent-­thinking postdoctoral fellow to join our stem cell and regenerative medicine group as well as interface with clinical transplant surgeons from the Joint Transplantation Working Group. The goal of the Joint Transplantation Program is to provide biological treatment options to patients with joint injury. As a result, the clinicians have a vested interest in the outcome of this proposed study.

 Qualifications/Expertise Required:

 Ph.D. degree in the area of stem cell biology and transplantation.  Experience with bone marrow transplantation biology, microscopy, and stereology are assets. The successful candidate should also have relevant and recent peer–reviewed first author publications.  Funding is available immediately, however the candidate is still expected to seek external research support.

Necessary Skills:

–Technical knowledge of GFP-labeled cell systems

–Animal husbandry

–Histopathology/histotechnique

–Photomicroscopy

–Biostatistics

Desirable Skills:

–Bone marrow transplantation in rodents

–Experience in stereology/histomorphometry

–Dual photon confocal microscopy

–Photoshop/ImageJ

Accountabilities/Tasks and Duties: 

Successfully implement a funded research proposal;

Provide assistance with the development and implementation of animal care and project protocols;

Assist with the design and implementation of research methods, including standard operating procedures and data collection protocols in consultation with the PI;

Work as a team member with PIs, technical staff, and other trainees;

Conduct and design research projects independently and assist as appropriate with supervision of junior trainees;

Keep a daily laboratory notebook of all activities;

Prepare weekly written summaries, tables, and graphics of research results for project reports, posters and scientific presentations, and for manuscripts for publication;

Assist with statistical analyses;

Assist in writing background reviews and preliminary results as part of writing grant applications;

Present research results at seminars and research events to various interested groups on campus (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Joint Transplant Working Group);

Candidates are encouraged to submit a brief document specifying their areas of research interest related to stem cell transplantation research. The successful candidate will possess excellent oral and written communication skills and be fluent in English.  Interested candidates should send a cover letter, a CV and contact information for three references to jmatyas@ucalgary.ca (subject header: Post-Doc position) or to the address below. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

 

John Robert Matyas, BA, MSc, PhD

Professor, Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

University of Calgary

3330 Hospital Drive NW

Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1

CANADA

 Post-Doctoral Fellowship — Joint Transplantation Program

Start date: immediate (negotiable)
Term: Up to 2 years of funding, with the expectation that the candidate will apply for external funding each year.

A post-doctoral fellow position is available in the Joint Transplantation Program at the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dr. John Matyas and the 3 transplant surgeons will provide mentorship and supervision.

The Joint Transplantation Program is an innovative clinical research program that provides biological treatment options to patients with osteochondral joint injuries that are not suitable for artificial joint replacements. The program continues to be successful in translating basic science involving the preservation of osteochondral tissues to a clinical setting for transplantation. Our program is uniquely located within an interdisciplinary research institute (laboratory space) that is connected to the Foothills Medical Centre (hospital). We partner directly with Alberta Health Services which allows us to access diagnostic imaging, healthy donor tissue, and surgical resources. Further investigation into the preservation of joint tissues for transplantation (articular cartilage, meniscus etc) is needed.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a PhD or equivalent research degree and experience with training in biological sciences, biomedical engineering, or biophysics. Previous research experience working with joint tissues (articular cartilage, menisci, ligaments, tendons) or other connective tissues (skin, cornea) is highly desirable.

Candidates are encouraged to submit a brief proposal for a research project or specify areas of research interest related to joint tissue preservation and transplantation.

The successful candidate must possess excellent oral and written communication skills and be fluent in English.

If you are interested in this position, please send a brief letter outlining your motivation, your CV and contact information for three references to shmiller@ucalgary.ca (subject header: postdoc position). Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Sue Miller
Joint Transplantation Program
Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Web: www.mccaiginstitute.com