Postdoctoral position available in the Nicolson Lab, at Stanford University School of Medicine (OHNS Department).
We study the molecular basis of hearing and balance in zebrafish with a focus on the development and function of mechanosensory hair cells. We use both forward and reverse genetic approaches to isolate mutants with auditory/vestibular behavioral deficits; to date, the majority of the genes we’ve identified via forward screens are implicated in human deafness. We use a wide range of methods for our projects including molecular, behavioral, and imaging analyses. In addition, co-mentoring by Dr. Tony Ricci is possible to broaden the training experience with electrophysiological recording and imaging techniques.
Desired training/skills for the successful candidate:
Proficiency with the usual skills of working with zebrafish or a similar animal model (husbandry, transgenesis, CRISPR, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, EM, etc.). Some experience with imaging and/or electrophysiology is a plus!
Please send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names of three references to tnicolso@stanford.edu.
Recent papers of interest:
Maeda, R., Pacentine, I., Erickson, T., and Nicolson, T. (2017) Functional analysis of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of Pcdh15a in zebrafish hair cells. Journal of Neuroscience, 37: 3231-3245.
Erickson, T., Morgan, C., Olt, J., Hardy, K., Busch-Nentwich, E., Maeda, R., Clemens- Grisham, R.,
Krey, J., Nechiporuk, A., Barr-Gillespie, P., Marcotti, W., and Nicolson, T. (2017) Integration of Tmc1/2
into the mechanotransduction complex is regulated by Transmembrane O-methyltransferase in hair
cells. eLife 6:e28474.
Pacentine, I., and Nicolson, T. (2019) Subunits of the mechano-electrical transduction channel, Tmc1/2b, require Tmie to localize in zebrafish sensory hair cells. PLOS Genetics, in press.