Biomedical Sciences Blog

The Hilda and Preston Davis Foundation is pleased to announce the 2012 cycle of its Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Eating Disorders Research. The long term goal of the program is to accelerate medical research discoveries that will lead to improved therapies for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The awards support postdoctoral fellows working in nonprofit academic or research institutions in the United States. Proposals must be focused on relevant aspects of the biological causes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as defined by clinical criteria.

Deadline to apply: Thur Jan 12, 2012, 12pm EST. For more info & to apply: http://www.hria.org/tmfservices/tmfgrants/davis.html

The Lymphatic Research Foundation (LRF) is pleased to announce the 2012 Grant Cycle of the LRF Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program. The goal of the Program is to expand and strengthen the pool of outstanding junior investigators in the field of lymphatic research. The awards will support investigators who have recently received their doctorates, a critical point in career development when young scientists choose their lifelong research focus.

Funding Period and Amount of Award: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2014. Two-year fellowships from $82,000 - $95,000 (U.S. currency). Deadline to apply: Jan 10, 2012 (1pm EST).

For more info & to apply: http://www.lymphaticresearch.org/main.php?menu=research&content=funding&txt=Research%20/%20Programs

Society in Science – The Branco Weiss Fellowship is a unique postdoc program. It provides young researchers around the world with a generous personal research grant, giving them the freedom to work on whatever topic they choose anywhere in the world, for a maximum duration of five years.

Deadline to apply: Feb 1, 2012. For more info & to apply: http://www.society-in-science.org/application-materials.html

The American Society for Microbiology is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the 2012 Career Development Grants for Postdoctoral Women. Three grants ($1200 each) are given annually to enhance the careers of postdoctoral women with outstanding scientific accomplishments and potential for significant research in the area of microbiology. The fields covered by the award are any of those represented by the scientific divisions of the American Society for Microbiology. The grants support the career development of the winning candidates by providing funds to attend a meeting (other than the ASM General Meeting or ICAAC), to visit another laboratory, to take a course in a geographically distant place, or for other purposes to advance the candidate's career.

To be eligible for this program, a woman scientist must hold a doctoral degree and have no more than five years of relevant research experience since receipt of her most recent doctoral degree. Candidates must currently be performing postdoctoral work in microbiology, at an institution in the United States. The candidate must be a member of ASM. A letter of support must be provided by a nominator, who should be the candidate’s mentor, Department Chair, or Center Director. The nominator must be a member of ASM and may only support one candidate for this award per year. (Other guidelines exist – please check the website cited below for more details.)

Deadline to apply: Feb 1, 2012. For more info & to apply: http://www.asm.org/index.php/what-s-new/womens-career-development-grants.html

A biotech company is looking to hire a Medical Science Liaison (MSL). The MSL functions as a field-based member of the Team.

MSLs are scientifically trained professionals with a strong clinical and scientific background.

MSLs are expected to facilitate and enhance the development and recognition of company's Renal products through communicating product related scientific information to Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in the renal arena.
The MSL is Responsible for:
■ Cultivating, maintaining and leveraging relationships with national, regional and local KOLs.
■ Fostering mutually productive partnerships with KOLs in the areas of medical education and clinical/scientific research.
■ Contributing to the development and implementation of medical education strategies and initiatives.
■ Supporting and moderating advisory board meetings and speaker training initiatives.
■ Maintaining cross-functional collaboration with internal teams: Marketing, Sales, Regulatory, Legal, etc.
■ Contributing to publication planning, development of medical education material, internal training, etc.
■ Delivering medical presentations to diverse audiences effectively, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, etc.

Qualifications: PhD, PharmD, MD, or DO and minimum 3 years MSL experience, or clinical experience in relevant medical discipline.
Job Location: Phoenix, St. Louis, or Las Vegas.
For more info and to apply: Email resume/CV to Bob Weinstein, The Carolan Group, at bobw@carolan.com.

Healthcare dedicated New York based investment bank seeks candidates for research associate position. Candidates should have an advanced scientific degree related to healthcare, MD or PhD, and some modeling experience. Ideal candidate has a deep knowledge of oncology and a year or two of business experience in consulting or a similar role. MBA, CFA, series 7, 63, 86, 87 desirable. Candidate will work in a team environment, focusing on fundamental research, building and maintaining models, conducting independent primary research, attending medical and scientific meetings and interacting with leaders in the field. Candidate will report to senior analyst and have the opportunity to grow, take on additional responsibilities, and establish a reputation. Excellent oral and written communication skills required.

For more info, please send resume to A. Robert Tessler, MD, FAAFP at Rob@SolitSearch.com or Gina Keating at GKeating@SolitSearch.com. Solit Tessler & Associates, LLC thanks all candidates for their interest but is able only to contact qualified applicants.

Field Application Specialist

The Field Application Specialist assists Affymetrix customers with all supported applications using the Affymetrix GeneChip™ System. He/she promotes customer success through scientific advice, providing in depth customer training on assays, instrument operation, software functionality and data analysis. Other responsibilities include troubleshooting and maintaining records of customer communications and technical support cases in company files as well as assisting the sales team with pre- and post-sales activities such as seminars and other presentations. The individual is expected to be independent and self-motivated and to contribute to group projects within the Applications Support department. This position is located in North Carolina or the South East US and will require the ability and desire to work from a home office. Requires a Bachelor’s degree in the life sciences, (Master’s or PhD degree preferred) and >5 years related experience in laboratory research using Molecular Biology techniques. A solid scientific background in genotyping or gene expression with publication record is preferred.

For more info & to apply: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_affymetrix/external/en-us/gateway.do?functionName=viewFromLink&jobPostId=5477&localeCode=en-us

Bioinformatics Engineer

Affymetrix seeks a talented and motivated individual to provide bioinformatics support for Scientific Services and microarray design in Santa Clara, CA. The main focus of the position will be support of the operations of Bioinformatics Services. Strong emphasis will be placed on the analysis, interpretation, and trouble-shooting of project-level microarray data in order to boost services stability, predictability and sample quality. Duties will also include creating chip and mask designs for commercial and custom probe arrays, which is one of the most critical steps of a probe array production.

For more info & to apply: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_affymetrix/external/en-us/gateway.do?functionName=viewFromLink&jobPostId=5516&localeCode=en-us

The Biological Sciences Department at New York City College of Technology is seeking candidates for tenure track openings to teach General Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and other courses offered by the department. The department is in the process of developing baccalaureate degree programs in Medical Laboratory Technology and Biomedical Informatics. Our faculty members are currently involved with research in Molecular Biology, Molecular Modeling, Cell Biology, Bioinformatics, and Microbial Genetics, among others.

Qualification Requirements
A PhD degree in an appropriate discipline is required. Excellent communication skills are needed. Candidates with backgrounds to support our proposed new programs would be looked at favorably. This includes experience in any of the Clinical Laboratory Disciplines (Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Cytology, and Histology) or in any area of Computational Biology (Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Probabilistic Modeling of Biological Data, etc.). Teaching experience is a plus.

For more info & how to apply: http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/aboutus/hr/employment/emp/bio3918.pdf

The Department of Mathematics at Oregon State University invites applications for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 9-month, tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level in the area of genomic mathematics. Research in this area addresses shared interests of mathematicians and of scientists working in genome-enabled biology, including those of researchers affiliated with the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing (CGRB) at Oregon State University. Areas of mathematical specialty are open for this position, but the successful candidate's research at Oregon State University might include modeling or simulation in systems biology, mathematical analysis of structures in large biological data sets, or large-scale biocomputing. A doctoral level degree in mathematics or closely related area is required.

Deadline to apply: Jan 15, 2012. For more info & to apply: http://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/3282

Kelly Scientific Resources is currently seeking talented, dedicated individuals who are committed to working under the highest standards of integrity and ethics to produce products of excellent quality and reliability. Our client is a leader in the development and manufacture of medication delivery systems, specialty injectable pharmaceuticals, and critical care devices and they are looking for Quality Professionals looking to work in Eastern North Carolina.

Responsibilities Include:
- Investigating deviations, OOS, OOT, non-conformances
- Initiating CAPA methods in compliance with GMP standards
- Working with Laboratory, Manufacturing and Senior Management to develop strategic investigation plans
- Performing Root Cause Analysis
- Technical Writing (Deviation reports, LIRs, MIRs, IQ/OQ/PQ, SOPs, etc.)
- Performing QA Audits of Manufacturing & Laboratory areas

For more information and to apply: http://ncbcjobs.ncbiotech.org/print_job/?listing_id=50405

Health Decisions in the Raleigh-Durham area is currently ramping up their staff of Clinical Research Associates (CRAs), Project Managers and In House CRAs due to increased business for 2012! Health Decisions is the leading clinical research organization (CRO) in Adaptive Clinical Trials, committed to shortening development timelines and maximizing pipeline value for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies.

Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) monitor the progress of clinical trials at investigative sites, and ensures that clinical trials are conducted, recorded, and reported in accordance with the protocol, standard operating procedures (SOPs), company business practices, ICH guidelines, and all applicable regulatory requirements. Our CRAs travel 50-70% and must have prior monitoring experience. We are looking for both regionally-based CRAs and for those able to work out of our Durham, NC headquarters. You must have prior experience as a monitor.

Clinical Project Managers lead clinical studies and cross-departmental project teams to ensure that projects are completed in accordance with contract and client expectations. The Project Managers schedule, supervise, and deliver services to clients to fulfill contract in accordance with client needs, FDA regulations, ICH guidelines and HD SOPSs as well as manage project and project timelines through all project phases, from startup through closeout. Project Managers must be able to work out of their Durham, NC headquarters.

In-House CRAs support clinical trials to ensure they are conducted, recorded, and reported in accordance with the protocol, standard operating procedures, ICH guidelines and all applicable regulatory requirements. They also serve as the remote site contact and central IRB contact, maintain study applications including the study portal and trial management system, review essential documents for content through all phases of the study and maintain study central files and site regulatory files. The In House CRAs must be able to work from of the Durham, NC headquarters.

For more information, visit http://www.healthdec.com/. To apply, submit your resume to slyons@healthdec.com.

SCYNEXIS (http://www.scynexis.com/), a premier drug discovery and development company located in RTP NC, delivers effective and innovative drug pipeline solutions to our pharmaceutical, global health and life science partners. These solutions come through our proprietary cyclophilin inhibitor technology and through our fully integrated and highly experienced drug outsourcing and consultancy teams.

SCYNEXIS is currently hiring:

1) Parasitologist with experience in helminths. Ideal candidates are not focused on molecular biology but whole organism parisitology, with an emphasis on drug discovery.

2) Immunologist responsible for driving the immunology aspects within key discovery programs. The candidate must be an expert in the field of virology and/or immunology. Must have experience as a key leader or a project leader in the pharmaceuticals or biotechnology industry. A PhD degree in Immunology, virology or another related scientific discipline with 8-10 years experience is required.

For more information and to apply, contact Teri Harrell, Manager, Human Resources, at teri.harrell@scynexis.com.

The senior editorial team is today announced for eLife, the new top-tier, open-access research journal to be launched next year with the support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society and the Wellcome Trust.

The senior editorial team is comprised of internationally-renowned, active researchers from Europe, North America and Asia. They will operate independently of the founding organizations and will ensure fair, swift and high-quality editorial decisions.

Editor-in-chief Randy Schekman and managing executive editor Mark Patterson will be joined by deputy editors, Fiona Watt, currently at the University of Cambridge, UK, and Detlef Weigel from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tubingen, Germany. They will be supported by around 15-20 senior editors – researchers who represent a broad range of biomedical and life science research fields.

“This exceptionally talented editorial team brings enormous experience and achievement in research and publishing as well as seasoned judgment in the identification of the most important discoveries.”
Randy W. Schekman

“Our aim is to make eLife a journal that serves the best interests of science – a journal for scientists, edited by scientists,” said Schekman. “This exceptionally talented editorial team brings enormous experience and achievement in research and publishing as well as seasoned judgment in the identification of the most important discoveries.”

“As active investigators engaged in research, the editorial team we have assembled will solicit and consider the finest contributions from all sources in the life sciences and biomedical community,” said Watt.

Explaining the rationale behind the journal’s name, Weigel said: “The name ‘eLife’ reflects the online and open-access nature of our new journal, and that it will cover the full range of life and biomedical sciences. Our ambition is to make this a unique journal that will serve as a catalyst for broader reinvention of research communication.”

The announcement to support the new journal was made in June by the three scientific organizations. The initial goals of the journal are open-access publication of highly significant research; high-quality editorial decision-making by an independent team of active, practicing scientists; and a rapid and cutting-edge publishing process.

Over the next few months, the senior editorial team will identify around 150 experts to serve as members of a board of reviewing editors. One of the specific goals of the editorial process is to provide authors with a decision letter that integrates the reviewers’ comments and clearly identifies points that need to be addressed for successful acceptance. The overall aims are to speed up the review process, provide explicit and coherent advice to authors and reduce the often unnecessary and burdensome requests that come from multiple disparate critiques.

eLife will seek to publish all research considered to be highly influential in its potential to advance our understanding, to drive a field forward, or in its real-world outcomes. The editorial team will assess submissions efficiently and fairly on the basis of their intrinsic merits.

For an initial period, to help establish the journal, no fees will be charged to authors. In time, it is anticipated that authors will be charged an article-processing fee to cover some of the on-going costs of publication.

The first issue of eLife is expected late next year. The journal will utilise the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0) so that the content can be shared and used without restriction.

The current list of the Editorial Team (with additional appointments anticipated) is as follows:

Senior Editorial Team

Randy Schekman

HHMI Investigator, University of California, Berkeley

Editor-in-Chief

Fiona Watt

King’s College London (from 2012)

Deputy Editor

Detlef Weigel

Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tubingen

Deputy Editor

Editorial Board

Ian Baldwin

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena

Evolutionary Biology

Catherine Dulac

HHMI Investigator, Harvard University

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Joseph Goldstein

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

Medical Genetics / Medical Physiology and Metabolism

Tony Hunter

Salk Institute

Cell signalling and basic cancer biology

John Kuriyan

HHMI Investigator, University of California, Berkeley

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology

Richard Losick

HHMI Professor, Harvard University

Microbiology and Pathogens

James Manley

Columbia University

Chromosomes and Gene Expression

Eve Marder

Brandeis University

Systems Neuroscience

Michael Marletta

The Scripps Research Institute

Chemical Biology

Janet Rossant

University of Toronto

Developmental Biology

Charles Sawyers

HHMI Investigator, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Research Institute

Oncology and Translational Medicine

Tadatsugu Taniguchi

University of Tokyo

Immunology

K VijayRaghavan

National Center for Biological Sciences, Bangalore

Genetics & Genomics

Xiaodong Wang

National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing

Cell Biology / Medical Physiology and Metabolism

Huda Zoghbi

HHMI Investigator, Baylor College of Medicine

Animal Models of Human Disease and Behavioral Sciences

Company Overview: This firm is a global life science competitive strategy consultancy providing decision support to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry throughout their drug development and commercialization process. They are heavily focused in the oncology space and are looking to expand their team with individuals who have proven expertise/background in this therapy area. Individuals who join this company will primarily support oncology projects, but will have versatility and skill to work in a range of other exciting therapy areas, gaining exposure to the full drug lifecycle from preclinical to clinical development, regulatory and commercialization strategies.

Description of Position: As a Research Analyst you will be working as a team member on a range of projects, to develop high quality insights that will support the client’s decision making process. The individual hired into this role will use a number of proprietary databases to build their knowledge base. They will also tap into the knowledge and expertise of a range of industry stakeholders and key opinion leaders through telephone research and attendance at international medical congresses. Individuals will have to quickly get up to speed on different therapeutic areas as they move from project to project.

Candidate Requirements:
Essential
- Higher degree (Masters or PhD) in the biomedical or life sciences
- Specialization in oncology preferred
- Proven written and oral communication and presentation skills
- Openness to travel (20-30% of your time)

Desirable
- Oncology experience through academic research or business
- Diagnostic experience/expertise Diagnostic either through academic research or business
- Foreign language skills
- Life Science industry experience
- Pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical marketing or market research experience
- Strategy consulting experience
- Strong knowledge of and application of pharmaceutical research resources
- Understanding of market/financial analysis in context of Life Sciences business needs

To apply: Email your CV and cover letter with a description of your background and statement regarding your skills and their relevance to this job to Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers, at resume@propelcareers.com. Please reference job # 02-103.

The 2012 AWIS Educational Awards support travel for professional development, broadly defined. We particularly wish to encourage early-career scientists. Individuals may request funding to attend a conference, to acquire specialized training, or to pursue professional development in other ways that take them from home.

Due date: All materials, including the Letter of Recommendation, must be submitted by December 31, 2011 for awards that will be available in March of 2012. Recipients will be notified via e-mail by February 28, 2012. (Please note: there will be a second awards cycle in 2012, so check back to this page at a later date for the next due date and details on how you can apply.)

Award amount: Awards are $1,000 to $3,000. The maximum to be awarded is $3,000.

Allowable expenses: Registration (tuition), transportation (e.g. economy airfare), housing, per diem for meals and incidental expenses, or dependent care can be included in the proposed budget. Expenses for conducting research while traveling are not allowable.

Eligibility: Any woman who works in a STEM discipline (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and who has earned at least a bachelor’s degree is eligible to apply. Individuals may be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, employed scientists and engineers, or those seeking employment or to return to school.

Application Process: The application includes a web-based Application Form, a 2-page Applicant's Statement, a Transcript, and a Letter of Recommendation. Click here to begin the process.

Evaluation Process: The AWIS Educational Awards Committee evaluates all applications and makes recommendations to the AWIS Board. The AWIS Board selects award recipients. Criteria include several categories of information relevant to the progress of a scientific career and to issues that have presented barriers for women in STEM. Please see the application process page and the application found on that page to better understand the information used in the evaluation.

Applicants must apply online and will be required to provide:

•

Web-based application

•

1-2 page narrative describing:

•

nature of the travel

•

relation of travel to the applicant's career goals

•

Transcript documenting current program or most recently earned degree

•

Letter of recommendation from a STEM professional who can comment on your plan for professional development

Application Deadline:
January 10, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (GMT-5)

The Lymphatic Research Foundation (LRF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization committed to promoting and supporting basic, translational and clinical research, and to fostering an interdisciplinary field of research that will result in improved understanding and/or advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lymphatic diseases, lymphedema, and related disorders.

Lymphatic Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program
The LRF Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is designed to support postdoctoral scientists in academic, medical or research institutions throughout the world. The awards will support investigators who have recently received their doctorates, a critical point in career development when young scientists choose their lifelong research focus. The goal of the Fellowship Program is to expand and strengthen the pool of outstanding junior investigators in the field of lymphatic research.

Each applicant must be working under the supervision of an established investigator who is the designated Mentor. Two-year fellowships ranging from $82,000 to $95,000 will be awarded to fellows who have completed no more than three years of postdoctoral training by July 1st of the LRF funding cycle.

Examples of funding areas include but are not limited to basic, translational or clinical investigations into normal and aberrant lymphatic endothelial biology; mechanisms of normal and pathological lymphangiogenesis; imaging lymphatic function and structure; animal models of lymphatic system disorders; and the cross-talk between the lymphatic and the immune systems.

Projects in lymphocyte biology, leukemia, lymphoma and conditions secondary to lymphedema such as cutaneous infections are outside the scope of this program.

Begin Online Application:
https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_738?SA=SNA&FID=35059

Continue Online Application:
https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_738?SA=AM

Please visit the Lymphatic Research Foundation website at http://www.lymphaticresearch.org to learn more about LRF.

As The Scientist enters its 10th round of annual Best Places to Work surveys—including Postdocs, Industry, and Academia—we invite you to make it our best year yet.

If you are working in life science in an academic, industry, private, or government institution, tell us about your workplace. The only way to nominate your institution is to take the survey. An analysis of the results we obtain will be published in The Scientist’s April (postdocs), June (industry), and August (academia) issues. All those who respond to our survey by December 16, 2011 can enter in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate from Amazon.com. (Gift certificate will be provided in equivalent local currency if winner is outside the United States.)

Please tell your coworkers about this survey! The more responses we receive the more valuable the results will be. Your answers will be kept completely confidential.

Take the postdoc survey now!		Take the academia survey now!		Take the industry survey now!

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) have announced the call for applications for the 2012 Kauffman Foundation Outstanding Postdoctoral Entrepreneur and Emerging Postdoctoral Entrepreneur awards, which recognize exceptional former and current postdocs who are working to commercialize research. The awards will be presented at the NPA 10th Annual Meeting, March 16-18, 2012, to be held at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco.

The Outstanding Postdoctoral Entrepreneur will receive a $10,000 honorarium and a travel stipend. The Emerging Postdoctoral Entrepreneur Award will receive a $2,500 honorarium and a travel stipend.

Applications will be accepted from October 24, 2011, through December 12, 2011. (Original deadline was Nov. 28.) Finalists will be notified by January 9, 2011, and the winners will be notified by January 16, 2012.

Eligibility for the Outstanding Postdoctoral Entrepreneur Award

To be eligible for the award, the entrepreneur must:
- Hold a Ph.D. in a field of science.
- Have completed postdoctoral training in the United States.
- Be the founder or co-founder of a private or public company (or companies) that is commercializing or has commercialized the intellectual property of the nominee or other intellectual property in which the nominee has been significantly involved ; AND is incorporated and located in the United States; AND has been established for a minimum of three (3) years.

Please note: Kauffman Entrepreneur Postdoctoral Fellows are not eligible to apply.

Download the application instructions: 2012 Kauffman Foundation Outstanding Postdoctoral Entrepreneur Award Application Instructions.

Apply here: http://outstandingaward2012.istart.org.

All application materials will be kept confidential and viewed only by the judges.

Eligibility for the Emerging Postdoctoral Entrepreneur Award

To be eligible for nomination, the entrepreneur must:
- Hold a Ph.D. in a field of science.
- Hold a postdoctoral position in the United States or have completed postdoctoral training in the United States.
- Be a member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). Follow this link for more information.
- Be actively seeking to commercialize his/her intellectual property or working as a founding partner to commercialize others' intellectual property.

Please note: Kauffman Entrepreneur Postdoctoral Fellows are not eligible to apply.

Download the application instructions: 2012 Kauffman Foundation Emerging Postdoctoral Entrepreneur Award Application Instructions.

Apply here: http://emergingaward2012.istart.org.

All application materials will be kept confidential and viewed only by the judges.