Research Assistant

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Harvard Medical School's mission is to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well‑being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.

The Greenberg lab at Harvard Medical School examines how neuronal activity shapes the maturation and plasticity of the nervous system. Sensory experience shapes the development of neural circuits during early‑life windows of heightened plasticity, known as critical periods. While the key factors that drive critical period opening have been extensively characterized, the specific cues that restrain developmental plasticity as animals mature are less clear.

For this project, we will characterize a new molecular pathway discovered in our laboratory by which circulating glucocorticoids act on glial cells in the brain to close critical periods of plasticity. We will further examine how early‑life stress, which elevates glucocorticoid levels and increases susceptibility to many neuropsychiatric diseases, alters the timing of developmental plasticity to disrupt cognition, memory, and behavior.

Collectively, this project will help us better understand the fundamental mechanisms gating neuronal plasticity, which may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies for treating human disorders.

We are looking to hire a curious, motivated, highly organized research assistant seeking experience in cutting‑edge neuroscience and genomics techniques and eager to discover how the endocrine system shapes brain development. During this project, you will gain experience in a wide range of fundamental neuroscience and molecular approaches, such as stereotactic surgery, immunohistochemistry, confocal imaging, behavior, cloning, qPCR, and Western blotting, as well as advanced genomics approaches, including RNA‑seq, ATAC‑seq, CUT&RUN, and single‑nucleus RNA‑seq.

We will also use command‑line tools and R to process and analyze large genomic datasets. You will be directly mentored by a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Bruno Gegenhuber, providing exposure and advice for the research career track. In addition to their mentor, the fellow will also meet regularly with Professor Michael Greenberg and benefit from the rich environment of postdocs, graduate students and other scientists in the Greenberg Lab.

This position is ideally suited for individuals seeking to launch a career in scientific research.

Laboratory setting – may be required to work with a variety of hazardous materials.

May be required to lift, move and transport related laboratory equipment.

Basic Qualifications:

• College background or equivalent experience, preferably in a related discipline.
• At least one‑year related work experience (relevant coursework may count toward experience).

Additional

Qualifications and Skills:

• Experience working with mice or human cell culture models preferred.
• Preference will be given to candidates that can commit for two years.
• Prior research experience is desirable.
• Demonstrated abilities in laboratory techniques helpful, especially cloning, PCR, library preparation, next‑generation sequencing, flow cytometry, imaging, tissue culture, and protein purification, although we expect to teach all of these while executing projects.
• Exposure to applicable computer technologies, including specific software applications, may be required.
• Appropriate communication skills required.
• While prior laboratory experience is helpful, the most important qualities are a candidate with curiosity, work ethic, motivation to make discoveries, clear organization and note taking, the ability to learn new techniques, and an excellent track record in college.
• We expect to teach the genomics, molecular biology, and…