Job Description

The position and project: We are looking for a post-doctoral researcher with a strong interest in the neuroimmune mechanisms underlying the development of chronic pain to join the research team of Drs. Annemieke Kavelaars and Cobi J. Heijnen, Laboratories of Neuroimmunology, MD Anderson Cancer Center Pain Research Consortium. The project is funded by an NIH RO1 grant in the context of the HEAL initiative and seeks to understand the mechanisms via which the fibroblast-derived protein PI16 controls the transition to chronic pain. We identified PI16 as a novel regulator of pain in an explorative RNAseq screen and demonstrated that mice deficient in PI16 are protected against neuropathic pain. This project will determine the role of PI16 in other pain models and aims at identifying the mechanism via which this fibroblast-derived protein controls chronic pain.
We offer: The Laboratories of Neuroimmunology consist of the research groups of 5 independent principal investigators who share space, equipment, knowledge and ideas. This highly collaborative environment provides extensive opportunities for developing new skills and ideas. We offer an international team of highly motivated researchers who work together to understand mechanisms underlying chronic pain and identify novel targets for treatment. We are the founders of the MD Anderson Pain Research Consortium and part of the Gulf Coast Consortium of Translational Pain Research that brings together the large group of pain researchers based in Texas.
We ask: Experience in working with rodents and a background in neuroscience, pain research and/or immunology/molecular biology is preferred. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Immunology , or a related discipline. Experience with rodent behavioral testing is preferred but not required. Successful applicants should be highly self-motivated, have outstanding experimental skills, and be able to think independently but also work well in a team.

For more information about the lab and our research, please visit: https://www.mdanderson.org/research/departments-labs-institutes/labs/neuroimmunology-laboratory.html


It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html