Boston College Introduction

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,484 full-time undergraduates and 5,250 graduate and professional students. Ranked 35 among national universities, Boston College has 888 full-time and 1,281 FTE faculty, 2,711 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.5 billion.

Job Description

PostdoctoralResearch Fellow
BostonCollege seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral research fellow to work in thelaboratory of Dr. Vicki Losick.

The Losick lab studies the cell and molecular mechanism of wound repair andaging using the fruit fly, Drosophila, as a model. The lab has found thathealing is not a one-size-fits-all process. While the typical woundhealing response relies on cell division to regenerate the cells that are lostby injury, aging, or disease. Cells can also be replaced by stimulatingexisting cells to grow in size by becoming polyploid. A polyploid cell isa cell that has more than diploid copy of its chromosomes. As a result,polyploid cells can grow to be many orders of magnitude larger than theirdiploid cell counterparts. Polyploid cells are ubiquitous in insects andplants, but are also required for the development of many tissues in ourbody. The Losick laboratory is currently studying the molecularmechanisms regulating wound- and age-induced polyploidy in fruit flies in orderto understand how to generate these extra-large cells to improve our bodiesability to heal.

Requirements

* Ph.D. degree in cell biology, genetics, orbiomedical sciences
* Highly motivated, able to work independently,and in a team environment
* Strong enthusiasm for developing new skills andexpertise
* Excellent communication skills, verbal andwritten
* Microscopy experience is required, including confocalimaging
* Previous experience working with Drosophila isnot required, but a plus

This position will be funded by the P.I., butpostdoctoral fellows are expected to apply for their own external fellowshipfunding.

Closing Statement