Job TitleResearch Associate - Pouladi Lab
Job CategoryFaculty Non Bargaining
Job Family GroupAcademic
DepartmentPouladi Laboratory | Department of Medical Genetics | Faculty of Medicine (Mahmoud Pouladi)
Job End DateMarch 31, 2028
Posting End DateDecember 12, 2026
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
The expected pay (or pay range) for this position is between $76,128 - $90,000 per annum.
The Department of Medical Genetics at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for a fixed-term full-time Research Associate.
Reporting to Dr. Mahmoud Pouladi, the successful candidate will hold an MD/PhD in Anatomy, Histology, or Pathology with a focus on neurobiology and 5+ years of postdoctoral experience and have:
- At least 10 years' experience in laboratory research involving mouse models.
- Expertise in histology such as immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridisation (ISH) labelling, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Golgi staining, dye tracing for anatomical brain connectivity mapping, whole brain 3D structure staining, clearing and imaging.
- Animal husbandry and related skills such as weaning, tailing, mouse behaviour testing, perfusions, tissue microdissection, in vivo delivery in the nervous system, in utero electroporation, and stereotaxic injections.
- Expertise in molecular biology techniques such as Western blotting, PCR, quantitative PCR, molecular cloning, Co-IP, and ChIP/CLIP.
- Expertise with ex vivo / in vitro cell culture techniques such as organotypic brain slice culture, brain tissue transplantation, primary cell culture, cell line culture, transfections, and lentivirus infection.
- Experience working with human pluripotent stem cells and their neural differentiation.
- Experience using genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 in immortalized and human pluripotent stem cell lines.
Responsibilities include:
- Development and analysis of novel mouse and human pluripotent stem cell models of genetic neurological disorders.
- Analysis of brain development defects in mouse models of genetic disorders.
- Preclinical therapeutic studies in human pluripotent stem cell and mouse disease models.
- Performing and/or supervising behavioral and histological analyses of novel mouse models of genetic neurological disorders to elucidate the pathophysiology behind the disease, including managing mouse lines and carrying out relevant procedures such as behavioural experiments, microinjection, tissue collection, various types of sectioning, and staining.
- Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into neural cell types and organoids.
- Maintenance, expansion, and analysis of cell line, brain slice, and primary neuron cultures.
- Perform CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, lentivirus infection shRNA, and transfection to knockout, knockdown, or overexpress to regulate gene expression levels.
- Electrophysiological recording, such as multi-electrode array (MEA)
An application package should include a letter of application outlining the applicant's research interests and experience, accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae and the names of three referees.
