Employment Opportunities in the Department of Medical Parasitology

Non-Faculty Positions

RESEARCH POSITION - RESEARCH TECHNICIAN/ASSISTANT RESEARCH SCIENTIST

Start date: ASAP

1. Education and work experience: Basic knowledge of immunology and ability to work independently, capable of following written or oral protocols accurately and reliably without the need for direct supervision. Ability to maintain complete and accurate research records essential. Individual must be able to coordinate his/her efforts to assist co-workers in performance of experiments. Responsible for maintenance of laboratory supplies, reagents, solutions and equipment. Experience with data entry and basic computer programs required.

2. Laboratory skills: A primary function of the lab is to analyze the serologic and cellular responses to parasites and/or subunit vaccines in immunized human volunteers and experimental murine and simian hosts. Experience in tissue culture and immunological assays required, including isolation of human PBL and spleen/lymph node cells from experimental animals, routine maintenance of murine and human B and T cell lines, proliferation, cytotoxicity and cytokine assays (ELISA, ELISPOT, FACS, PCR). Experience with dendritic cells and the development, analysis and maintenance of murine and human hybridomas would be advantages.

Interested candidates should send cover letter, curriculum vitae and contact information of 3 references to:

Dr. Elizabeth Nardin
Department of Medical Parasitology
New York University School of Medicine
341 E. 25th St., New York, NY 10010
Email: nardie01@med.nyu.edu.

POST - DOCTORAL POSITION IN CELL BIOLOGY / MALARIA STUDIES

An NIH-funded postdoctoral position is available to work on mosquito injection of malaria parasites (sporozoite stage) into mammalian skin to initiate the malaria infection. Project aims are to characterize this process further and to study the roles of (1) anti-sporozoite immunity against the parasite and (2) host immediate-cutaneous-hypersensitivity against mosquito bite in modulating infection of the host by sporozoites. Studies will emphasize digital imaging. Applicants must have expertise and authorship in digital imaging, including digital capture and manipulation of time-sequence studies done by fluorescence microscopy and/or in confocal microscopy. Prior experience with malaria is helpful but not essential. Further information on the nature of the project is in “Vanderberg & Frevert. 2004. Intravital microscopy demonstrating antibody-mediated immobilization of Plasmodium berghei sporozoites injected into skin by mosquitoes. International Journal of Parasitology 34(9):991-996.” And at http://www.med.nyu.edu/parasitology/faculty/jvanderberg.html

Send resume (preferably by email) to:
Dr. Jerome Vanderberg
Department of Medical Parasitology
New York University School of Medicine
314 East 25th Street
New York, NY 10010
Email: Jerome.Vanderberg@med.nyu.edu

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

Candidate will be required to train as a malaria culture laboratory manager under the direction of Head of Laboratory. Duties involve learning how to run a BSL2 laboratory with respect to handling human blood and serum, diagnostic specimens, culture of the human pathogen Plasmodium falciparum (drug sensitive, drug resistant) as well as equipment maintenance. Having become proficient in this skill, the candidate will be expected to train others in aspects of biohazard containment and safety. The candidate will be required to learn basic malaria culture skills including serum testing, media preparation, and biological assays. Curation of the culture collection will be a necessary part of the job and the relevant skills will be taught. It is anticipated that the candidate will move on to running the laboratory after a sufficient period of training. The candidate will also in time be required to train others in the relevant parasite skills. The research component of the job will require the candidate to do research to support the identification of parasite factors responsible for quorum sensing and immune modulation. This will involve development of biological assays for gametocytogenesis and parasite growth under supervision. A Bachelor of Science degree in a field such as Biology, Biochemistry or Parasitology with minimum one year of work experience and a solid foundation in basic lab procedures as well as significant experience in cell culture required.

Send resume and references (preferably by email) to:

Ulla Hellstrand
Administative Coordinator
Department of Medical Parasitology
New York University School of Medicine
341 East 25th Street, OPH/107
New York, NY 10010
email: ulla.hellstrand@med.nyu.edu