The Tsai lab at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is seeking to hire 1-2 Research Assistants to assist in the study of ion-channel structure, molecular mechanisms, and pathophysiological functions.
We are currently investigating the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiological roles of the mitochondrial calcium transport system, whose malfunction has been linked to the Alzheimer's disease, tissue injuries during heart attack and stroke, cancer metastasis, and type II diabetes. We combine cutting-edge electrophysiology, membrane-biochemistry, cell-biology, imaging, animal models, and structural-biology (e.g., cryo-EM) methods to address fundamental questions in this exciting new area of research. For more information, please visit our lab website: www.tsaislab.org
We seek to hire a master's level researcher interested in becoming a future scientist. Our goal is to identify new lab members to work with us to push the frontier of science. Once accepted into the lab, the RA will be assigned his/her own project with a difficulty level consistent with typical PhD dissertation projects, and will initially work with senior lab personnel to acquire necessary techniques for assigned projects. All RAs in the Tsai lab work closely with the PI, and have a strong record of publishing in high impact journals. They will have the opportunities to become PhD students in the Tsai lab, with results obtained during the RA period counting toward graduation.
The lab is currently supported by two NIH R01s, and have plenty of funding in the next 5 years. Senior-author research papers in the last 5 years were published in eLife, PNAS (2 articles), Cell Reports, Nature, and Molecular Cell. There are additional articles in the late stage of the review process in Nature and Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. We have extensive collaboration with scientists in Cornell, Harvard, Washington University at St. Louis, Sloan-Kettering, Mount Sinai, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, and Stanford.
The University of Virginia ranked #5 in US public Universities (only after UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Michigan, and UNC) according to the 2023 US News ranking. Charlottesville is a vibrant and expanding city, only 2 hours of driving away from the US capital Washington DC, with easy access to a wide range of cultural and outdoor activities.
Applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and a list of three references directly to the PI ([email protected]). The letter should clearly outline the candidate’s qualifications and the motivation to join our lab.
