Postdoctoral Fellow

Ongoing research involves work on collaborative NIMH/NIDA grants with Drs. Matthew Hearing and Robert Wheeler (Marquette University) and John Mantsch (Medical College of Wisconsin) aimed at understanding how factors such as stress and biological sex contribute to opioid and cocaine addiction, and neuropsychiatric disease. Research focuses on using a multi-faceted in vivo and ex vivo approach to identify cell-type and pathway-specific neural adaptations produced by opioids, cocaine, and stress within cortical-striatal and mesolimbic circuits that underlie cognitive dysfunction, drug seeking, and changes in motivated behavior.

Experimental approaches center on coalescing use of fluorescent reporter and Cre-transgenic mouse and rat lines combined with circuit-specific viral targeting and tract tracing approaches in opioid/cocaine self-administration and chronic stress models. These approaches are used in conjunction with operant based models of motivation, cognition (flexible decision-making, compulsivity), ex vivo slice electrophysiology, in vivo chemogenetics and optogenetics, and in vivo photometric measures of calcium (GCAMP) and dopamine (dLight).  Although candidates would be under the supervision of Dr. Hearing, mentoring from Drs. Wheeler and Mantsch will be available. A minimum of 3 years guaranteed funding will be available with potential for extension.

Position Start Date:  Multiple fellowship positions are available, with a start date of 2/1/21.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:   Earned doctorate (or its foreign equivalent) or appropriate terminal degree.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  Candidates with a Ph.D. in neuroscience that are highly motivated, enthusiastic about learning in vivo circuit-based manipulations/assessments in models of addiction and stress and/or acute slice electrophysiology and have a strong publication record are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in any of the following areas: slice electrophysiology, chemogenetics/optogenetics, aforementioned rodent behavioral assays. Opportunities for additional training in these areas will also be available.

Contact: Please send a CV, list of 3 references, and a research statement to Dr. Hearing at matthew.hearing@marquette.edu.