A post-doctoral fellow position is available immediately for a highly motivated candidate to join the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Chemical Biology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Research in our laboratory is highly interdisciplinary using C. elegans as a model system to understand how endogenous chemical signals regulate innate social behaviors at molecular, cellular and circuit levels. Our research aims at understanding how the human brain processes environmental stimuli and regulates its internal state to encode and integrate social information. Information generated will be potentially useful for understanding neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
Topics of interest include understanding the neural circuitry underlying gender-specific social behaviors, role of neuro-modulation and social experience in social behaviors. Current projects involve quantitative measurements of behavior and neural activity, chemical genetic screens involving small-molecule metabolites using high-throughput microfluidics. Please visit our website for further details https://www.wpi.edu/academics/facultydir/jsr.html.
Relevant publications include:
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Srinivasan J, von Reuss, SH, Bose, N., Mahanti P, Ho, MC, O’Doherty OG, Edison, AE, Sternberg PW and Schroeder FC (2012), A modular library of small molecule signals regulates social behaviors in Caenorhabditis elegans (PLoS Biology, 10(1): e1001237).
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Izrayelit Y, Srinivasan J, Campbell SL, Jo Y, von Reuss SH, Genoff MC, Sternberg PW, Schroeder FC (2012), Targeted metabolomics reveals a male pheromone and sex-specific ascaroside biosynthesis in C. elegans (ACS Chemical Biology, 7(8),1321-25).
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Srinivasan J, Kaplan F et al. (2008), A blend of small molecules differentially regulates both mating and development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature; 454,1115-1118.
Our laboratory is situated at the newly built Gateway Park at WPI, which houses faculty from several departments including Biology, Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry to provide a vibrant and collaborative environment. We also interact very closely with Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine programs at UMASS Medical located nearby to our campus.
Applicants should hold a PhD degree in Biology and have strong laboratory, analytical, and communication skills. Ideally, the applicant will have a biological training in neuroscience or chemical biology with expertise in molecular biology (prior experience with C. elegans is a plus but not essential).
Full applications including curriculum vitae, a brief summary of past, current and future research interests and accomplishments, contact information of two to three references and expected availability date should be submitted to:
Prof. Jagan Srinivasan
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology and Biotechnology
100 Institute Road
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA 01609
Email: jsrinivasan@wpi.edu