The UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics is currently hiring several postdoctoral researchers to study various aspects of the mechanisms of psychedelics as well as the development of novel neurotherapeutics. Several of these positions will involve joint mentorship by IPN faculty. Please see below for details:
https://neurotherapeutics.ucdavis.edu/join-our-team
To apply, please email David Olson (deolson@ucdavis.edu) a cover letter describing the expertise you can contribute to the IPN, what you hope to learn from your postdoctoral experience, and what your ultimate career goals are. Additionally, please provide a CV, summary of past research, and contact information for three references.
Position 1
Postdoctoral Associate
Olson Lab
This NIDA funded project aims to identify modulators of the 5-HT2AR to serve as anti-addictive agents. The position will involve the development of novel biosensor assays and high-throughput neuroplasticity assays as well as compound screening. The ideal candidate will have expertise in cellular and molecular neurobiology with experience culturing primary rodent cortical neurons, cloning, and performing fluorescence microscopy studies.
To apply, please email David Olson (deolson@ucdavis.edu) a cover letter describing the expertise you can contribute to the IPN, what you hope to learn from your postdoctoral experience, and what your ultimate career goals are. Additionally, please provide a CV, summary of past research, and contact information for three references.
Position 2
Postdoctoral Associate
Olson Lab
This W. M. Keck funded project aims to develop novel biosensors for assessing the activity of psychedelics in vivo. The position will involve cloning and screening new sensors in cells prior to their evaluation in vivo using fiber photometry. The ideal candidate will have expertise in cellular and molecular neurobiology with additional experience performing survival surgeries and fiber photometry experiments. Candidates whose expertise only partly overlaps with that required for this position are still encouraged to apply, assuming they are interested in learning the other techniques. This postdoctoral position will benefit from collaboration with Lin Tian and interaction with members of her lab.
To apply, please email David Olson (deolson@ucdavis.edu) a cover letter describing the expertise you can contribute to the IPN, what you hope to learn from your postdoctoral experience, and what your ultimate career goals are. Additionally, please provide a CV, summary of past research, and contact information for three references.
Position 3
Postdoctoral Associate
Olson and Siegel Labs
This W. M. Keck funded project aims to develop novel enzymes for producing psychedelics and related compounds. The ideal candidate will have expertise in computational biochemistry and enzymology. The position will involve a combination of computational design of novel enzymes as well as heterologous expression, purification, and in vitro evaluation of the enzymes. Candidates whose expertise only partly overlaps with that required for this position are still encouraged to apply, assuming they are interested in learning the other techniques. This postdoctoral position will benefit from joint mentorship from David Olson and Justin Siegel as well as frequent interactions with members of both groups.
To apply, please email David Olson (deolson@ucdavis.edu) and Justin Siegel (jbsiegel@ucdavis.edu) a cover letter describing the expertise you can contribute to the IPN, what you hope to learn from your postdoctoral experience, and what your ultimate career goals are. Additionally, please provide a CV, summary of past research, and contact information for three references.
The ideal skill set for this position includes:
• Ph.D. in biophysics, computer science, computational chemistry, computational biology, or related field.
• Experience working with Python is required, and experience with Jupyter notebooks and PyRosetta is preferred.
• Experience working with SciKit, PyTorch, or other related ML/DL tools is preferred.
• Experience working with Cytoscape and related bioinformatics analytical tools is preferred.
• Experience with molecular modeling, and the Rosetta Molecular Modeling Suite preferred
• Experience expressing and purifying recombinant proteins from E. coli
• Experience using common chemical separation equipment (LC and/or GC).
• Experience running enzyme assays
The Olson Research Group is always looking for talented and highly motivated scientists and academic trainees. Because of the highly interdisciplinary nature of our research, we consider applications from people with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets. If you have a strong work ethic and are interested in pushing the scientific frontiers regarding neural plasticity or are interested in developing the next generation of neurotherapeutics, we encourage you to apply!
Postdocs
Please email David a cover letter describing the expertise you can contribute to the group, what you hope to learn from the group, and what your ultimate career goals are. Additionally, please provide a CV, summary of past research, and contact information for three references. All postdoctoral applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for fellowships.
Graduate Students
Current undergraduates interested in attending UC Davis for graduate school must apply through either the graduate programs in 1) Chemistry, 2) Neuroscience, 3) Pharmacology and Toxicology (PTX), or 4) Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (BMCDB). Please email David to discuss opportunities in the group or if you have any questions about the graduate programs. Current UC Davis graduate students interested in joining the Olson Research Group should contact David to set up a time to meet to discuss potential projects.
Undergraduate Students
UC Davis undergraduates interested in joining the Olson Research Group should email David their academic transcripts, whether they are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, a description of their prior research experience, an estimate of how much time they intend to spend in lab, and their future research and career goals.