Odor Perception, Neural Circuits, Genes, and Behavior.

Postdoctoral positions are available in the laboratory of Dr. Linda Buck to investigate mechanisms and neural circuits that underlie odor perception or instinctive odor responses in mice. One project will explore how olfactory sensory neurons in the nose come to express only 1/2000 odorant receptor alleles. Another will focus on mechanisms and neural circuits underlying the effects of odors on fear or appetite. The lab is interested in the normal functioning of these circuits as well as how they may be altered in disease states or during aging. The Buck lab uses a variety of traditional and cutting edge technologies to study the nervous system. These include transcriptomics, molecular biology, genetics, behavioral analysis, chemogenetics, and optogenetics.

Further information about the lab can be obtained at http://www.hhmi.org/scientists/linda-b-buck and http://research.fhcrc.org/buck/en.html. Also see recent Buck lab publications: Hanchate et al (2015) Science and Kondoh et al (2016) Nature.

Dr. Buck is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (FredHutch) in Seattle and also an Affiliate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Washington. FredHutch has been home to three Nobel Laureates, including Dr. Buck (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2004). Its Basic Sciences Division is a vibrant community of basic scientists working in diverse research areas, including molecular evolution, chromatin, cell biology, and neurobiology.

Applicants should be enthusiastic about science and have a background in neuroscience, molecular biology, or cell biology. Interested applicants should send their CV, a short description of current and future research interests, and the names and email addresses of three references to Linda Buck at lbuck@fredhutch.org.