Postdoctoral Scholar

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar to fill a prestigious MSU Research Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar position with two years of funding provided. The Postdoctoral Scholar will join a research lab focused on understanding the role of the tau protein in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies, particularly Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). The applicant will lead a project combining MERSCOPE-based protein labeling using disease-specific tau antibodies with MERFISH single-cell spatial transcriptomics in human PSP and control brain tissue to define the cell types and molecular pathways activated by early pathogenic tau accumulation.

Top candidate genes will be validated using Drosophila tauopathy models, primary mouse neuron culture, and mouse models of tauopathy. Experimental duties may include rodent handling and husbandry, drosophila line crossing and maintenance, harvesting and culturing primary mouse neurons, Western blotting, DNA cloning, culturing of cell lines, fresh tissue processing, immunohistochemical staining, and other biochemical and molecular techniques. The applicant will take a leading role in collecting and analyzing data, writing manuscripts, and contributing to grant applications, with structured mentorship toward an independent academic career.

The position is in the laboratory of Dr. Nicholas Kanaan in the highly collaborative and innovative Department of Translational Neuroscience, located at the MSU Grand Rapids Research Center, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI.

As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in faculty, academic staff, and executive management searches.

A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.),

and retaliation. All applicants will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Nothing will be sent to current or former employers unless the candidate reaches the semi-finalist stage.

The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the history, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether it is compatible with the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files.

If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn.

All qualified applicants…