Postdoctoral Fellow - Medical University Vienna
The laboratories of Karin Nowikovsky (ASCTR, Medical University Vienna) and Kristin Tessmar-Raible (MFPL, University Vienna) offer a collaborative position for a Postdoctoral Fellow who aims to combine mitochondrial biology and neuroscience to investigate the role of LETM1 and mitochondrial functions in the pathogenesis of seizures and neuronal membrane excitability in the nervous system. Experimentally, there will be a strong focus on zebrafish as a nervous system disease model.
The Project
LETM1 encodes a conserved protein with crucial functions in maintaining the mitochondrial volume and ion homeostasis. LETM1 is associated with the Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome (WHS), a severe childhood disorder with congenital anomalies and intellectual disability. Seizures in WHS patients strongly correlate with LETM1 haploinsufficiency. The successful applicant will investigate the role of letm1 and its homologue letm2 in zebrafish. The project aims to clarify the expression pattern of letm1 and letm2 during early development and determine the letm1/ letm2 knockout phenotypes, using morphology, locomotory behaviour and epileptogenic signals as readouts. The study is expected to reveal how letm1/letm2 caused mitochondrial dysfunctions impact on general development and nervous system activity, and establish a disease model for seizures in the WHS for future drug screenings
This collaboration aims to connect basic research with clinically relevant studies.
The candidate
We look for a highly motivated and hardworking scientist with a PhD degree with extensive experimental skills in molecular cell biology. Experience with fish would be a plus, but is not essential.
The labs
The Tessmar-Raible lab is active in the field of evolutional and developmental neuroscience, the Nowikovsky lab in mitochondrial research, and both offer complementary conceptual and technical expertise. The Tessmar Raible lab is located at the MFPL, a research institute jointly funded by the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna (MUW), and is embedded in the Vienna Biocenter Campus (VBC), Austria’s top-ranked research campus of international renown. The Nowikovsky lab is located at the Anna Spiegel Center of Translational Research of the MUW and embedded in the campus of the general hospital. Both institutes offer a dynamic, competitive and excellent environment concerning the available infrastructure, scientific exchange and mentoring
Application
The applicants are asked to submit a single PDF file containing cover letter, CV and the contact details of 2-3 referees to both karin.nowikovsky@meduniwien.ac.at and kristin.tessmar@mfpl.ac.at no later than April 15th. Starting date should be soon thereafter, but can be discussed.