Positions available

Lab Technician II

A lab technician position is available in the Chen Lab. An ideal personnel of this position is a highly motivated young talent with a B.S. degree in Biology, Bioengineer, Chemistry or related fields who has experiences with rodent research and biochemical, pharmacological experiments.

The lab technician will help the PI ordering lab supplies, maintaining lab protocols and updating the chemical inventory. He/she will help lab members preparing SDS-gels, breeding animals, and conducting genotyping experiments. He/she will learn to prepare cryosection of mouse retinas for histology studies.

A previous experience working with rodents is highly preferred. A desirable candidate is a highly responsible, well-organized person who can efficiently work with other people in the lab and is willing to learn new techniques.

The salary for this position is $29,000/yr plus benefits. The School of Medicine of the University of Pittsburgh ranks top 5 nationally for NIH funding.

Please contact Dr. Yuanyuan Chen if you are interested.

Postdoctoral Associate

A highly motivated full-time postdoctoral associate is sought in Dr. Yuanyuan Chen’s laboratory at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh. The Chen Lab studies misfolded proteins in retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that leads to blindness. The Chen Lab combines pharmacological and biochemical methods to understand the molecular mechanisms of retinitis pigmentosa resulting from rhodopsin mutations. In particular, we use small molecule high-throughput screening, retina ex vivo culture, and in vivo mouse retinal morphology and physiology techniques to identify novel small molecules that repair defective homeostasis observed in cells with mutated rhodopsin. Our aim is to discover the most effective and potent compounds, characterize their metabolism and effects in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa, and to develop an efficacious and safe treatment regimen that can be further tested in large animals and clinical trials. More information about the Chen Lab is here: https://ivy00chen.wixsite.com/chenlab. Recent peer-reviewed publications include:

Chen Y*, Chen Y, Jastrzebska B, Golczak M, Gulati S, Tang H, Seibel W, Li X, Jin H, Han Y, Gao S, Zhang J, Liu X, Heidari-Torkabadi H, Stewart PL, Harte WE, Tochtrop GP, Palczewski K*. A novel small molecule chaperone of rod opsin and its potential therapy for retinal degeneration. Nat Commun. 2018 May 17;9(1):1976. PMID: 29773803; PMCID: PMC5958115. *Corresponding Authors.
Feng, B., Liu, X., Chen, Y. A Rhodopsin Transport Assay by High-Content Imaging Analysis. J. Vis. Exp. 2019 Jan 143, e58703, doi:10.3791/58703. PMID: 30735172; PMCID: PMC6518421.

The complete publication list of Dr. Chen can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/yuanyuan.chen.3/bibliography/public/

The University of Pittsburgh provides an excellent environment to support diversity and international scientists. U Pitt ranks number 4 for NIH funding in the US. Pittsburgh is a vibrant and affordable city that offers a multitude of local amenities, including major league sports, a dynamic cultural district, and old-world neighborhood charm. Rated the “Most Livable City” in the US by Forbes Magazine and the Economist, Pittsburgh is a great place to live and work.

The successful postdoc will be involved in an ongoing study of small molecules that enhances the degradations of misfolded rhodopsin and their delivery and efficacies in vivo. Qualified candidates are welcome to submit a PDF file including a cover letter describing research interest, strength and previous accomplishments (1 page), CV and contacts of at least three references to Dr. Chen (cheny1@pitt.edu).

Salary: $47,476/yr or more based on experience plus Fringe benefits including health, dental and vision insurances.

Qualifications of the candidate:

Ph.D. in pharmacology, biochemistry, pharmacy, neuroscience or relevant field of biomedical sciences, or M.D. of Ophthalmology.
At least one first-author publication in one of the following field: Ophthalmology/Vision Science, Protein misfolding, pharmacology, biochemistry.
A highly motivated and responsible scientist with demonstrated capability of working independently with strong troubleshooting skills, quick learning and teamwork spirit.
Experience in multiple of the following techniques is preferred: animal handling and breeding, mouse injection and dissection, HPLC, histology, rodent ERG, OCT, and fundus imaging.