Post-Doctoral Fellow

University of Colorado | CU Anschutz Medical Campus

School of Medicine/Department of Pathology

Postdoctoral Fellow - Cittelly Lab

Position #00796289 - Requisition #25777

* Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus seeks individuals with demonstrated commitment to creating an inclusive learning and working environment. We value the ability to engage effectively with students, faculty and staff of diverse backgrounds.

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked independent hospitals - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado - that treat more than two million adult and pediatric patients each year. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by over $650 million in research grants. For more information, visit www.cuanschutz.edu.

Nature of work:

A fully funded postdoctoral fellow position available for self-driven and curious candidates with a fresh PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular/ cell Biology, Cancer Biology or Neuroscience to join a laboratory in the Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. This position will provide a unique opportunity to be part of an enthusiastic research team working towards increasing survival for brain metastasis patients both through basic and translational research.

Ongoing projects in the lab include:

1. Defining how estrogens modulate the brain niche (immune cells, astrocytes and microglia) to promote brain metastases progression.
2. Defining mechanisms for progression of brain metastasis in the aging brain
3. Preclinical targeting of receptor tyrosine kinases from the prevention or treatment of breast and lung metastasis.

4) Identifying novel targetable markers for brain metastases, particularly in the context of acquired resistance to radiation and targeted therapies for their primary tumors.

To achieve our goal, we use a variety of neuroscience, molecular biology, cell and tissue imaging and in vivo modeling of metastasis. We work in close collaboration with neurosurgeons, oncologists, immunologist and patient advocates to prioritize the translation of our basic research into real-life treatments.

Job Description/Duties:

Primary activities in this position include, but are not limited to:

• Performing preclinical studies with brain metastasis patient-derived cancer cells and cancer cell lines.
• Isolation and characterization of cancer and brain cell populations from clinical samples and mice, tissue labeling and imaging.
• In vitro cell culture and cell-based assays, standard molecular and biochemistry techniques.
• Contribute to maintain a high standard of quality and cleanliness in the lab, maintain relevant databases updated.
• Maintain updated notebooks and relevant databases.
• Critically think and carry on experiments from design to data interpretation and drives their own project
• Review literature, investigate and integrate novel technologies to answer relevant questions in their project.
• Able to work independently after initial training with minimum supervision.
• Write grants and manuscripts, and present at scientific conferences.

Postdoctoral fellows in the lab have additional career development opportunities tailored to an anticipated 3-4^th year transition into academic or non-academic careers, according to an individually designed career development plan. This plan and opportunities include:

• Funding for presenting and attending at least one national meeting per year
• Funding for a grant writing training course or a leadership training course (web based with 1:1 consultations)
• Mentoring opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students
• Up to $10,000 in unrestricted research funds for postdocs interested in moving into independent faculty positions. These funds will support preliminary studies for the research project that the postdoc will pursue in their independent labs.

Salary and Benefits:

The salary range (or hiring range) has been established at NIH Scale:

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

The University of Colorado offers a comprehensive benefits package. To see what benefits are available for Post-Doctoral Fellows, please visit:

Payroll & Benefits Orientation for Post-Doctoral Fellows | University of Colorado (cu.edu)

benefits guide cover-post-doc-2024 (cu.edu)

Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

Diversity and Equity:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@ucdenver.edu.

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons within the LGBTQ+ community, and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

• A PhD in biomedical sciences, Biochemistry, Molecular/ cell Biology, Cancer Biology or Neuroscience is required.
• Experience with mammalian tissue culture (i.e, proliferation assays, transfections, etc), transcript level assays (e.g., RT-qPCR, etc.), protein level assays (e.g., western blot, ELISA, etc.), is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Natural curiosity and critical thinking skills.
• Ability/desire to generate hypotheses, design experiments and troubleshoot errors.
• Strong organization skills - driven, forward focused, able to adapt to changing priorities, manage time effectively to meet deadlines.
• Strong communication skills - verbal and written.
• Receptive be feedback/provide feedback.
• This position is not a good fit for someone who needs constant motivation and prefers not to make decisions, becomes paralyzed or frustrated when facing challenges, is not receptive to constructive criticism, is not detail-oriented and lacks focus, can work on single project/task at a time, cannot take responsibility and ownership of their actions.
• Experience with multiparametric imaging analysis (nanostring, Vectra Polaris) is desirable, but not necessary.
• Experience with murine research is desirable (but not required). If no prior experience with mice handling, the candidate must be willing/capable to be trained to work with live mice.
• Experience with high-throughput assays (e.g., flow cytometry, CyTOF, RNAseq etc.) is desirable, but not necessary.