UCSD Post-doc position available in Behavioral Neuroscience

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH POSITION

IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE

A Postdoctoral position is available immediately (APRIL 1  2011; start date is flexible) in the laboratory of Dr. Victoria Risbrough, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego.

Research in the laboratory focuses on cross-species translational research with relevance to neuro-psychiatric disorders. Current topics of interest in the laboratory are mechanisms of stress and their contribution to development of neuropsychiatric disorders such PTSD, schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. Specifically we aim to 1) develop animal models of these disorders, 2) understand the neurobiology contributing toward these deficits using genetic and pharmacological techniques, and 3) develop complementary tasks of stress responding for pharmacological challenge studies in humans. Developing these models include both developing paradigms with cross-species translational validity and manipulating the animal via pharmacologic, genetic, or developmental means.

The position available is to work on a recently funded R01 award examining the effects of pharmacological and genetic manipulations of the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system in the development of enduring anxiety using a feline predator stress model of PTSD in mice.  This position involves use of transgenic mouse model (tissue-specific conditional overexpression of CRF) to examine critical developmental windows of CRF contribution to trait stress responding across the lifetime.  This position also involves using stereotaxic techniques combined with pharmacological and viral tools to identify neural circuits and systems underlying maladaptive responses after trauma exposure in adult mice.   There will also be opportunity for the candidate to develop skills in other areas, including development of human models of stress responding.

The candidate should hold a Ph.D., have a strong conceptual and experimental background in neuroscience, experience in general neuroscience techniques (e.g. in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry), as well as be proactive, independent, hardworking, productive, and enjoy working as part of a team. The most competitive candidates will be those with at least one first-author publication in the field and should be committed to eventually becoming self-funded via grant applications.

Please send your CV, a brief statement of current and future research interests, and three references to:

Victoria Risbrough, Ph.D.  vrisbrough@ucsd.edu