Summary of Position: 

The Center for Drug Design (CDD) in College of Pharmacy is seeking a highly qualified and motivated Research Professional 6 senior scientist with a background in pharmacology or clinical/pre-clinical medicine to join their dynamic research team. The ideal candidate should possess expertise in discovery pharmacology and toxicology with at least 6 years of research experience post-PhD, MD or equivalent degree. This position requires independent planning and execution of, and writing reports and manuscripts on, scientific experiments to evaluate the toxicity, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) profiles of experimental drugs, supporting the research initiatives of the CDD faculty and expanding the current ISO services. The successful candidate will work under minimal supervision with the discretion to make daily operational decisions. Experience in industry is strongly preferred.
 

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
75% Pharmacology and Toxicology Research
⢠Design early toxicological studies in animals or in vitro models, including single/repeat dose toxicity, dose range finding (DRF), maximum tolerated dose (MTD), acute/sub-acute/chronic/sub-chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies, and integrate scientific data interpretation for preclinical safety evaluation.
⢠Design, establish, and validate preclinical disease models, including but not limited to tumor xenografts and surgical models, and perform related or standalone biochemical/biochemistry/molecular biology assays to evaluate the efficacy and PK-PD profiles of experimental drugs.
⢠Develop and test new and innovative methodologies and models for pharmacology/toxicology research.
⢠Develop, conduct and manage individual research projects submitted by CDD PIs.
⢠Write IACUC protocols and implement and maintain compliance with animal welfare policies and other established research regulatory guidelines and safety standards.
 

20% Project Reports
⢠Analyze and interpret experimental data, draw conclusions, and prepare detailed scientific reports and presentations.
⢠Construct tables, graphs, and figures in support of CDD faculty manuscripts and grants.
⢠Write and publish manuscripts for individual research projects.
⢠Lead or contribute significantly to grant applications.
 

5% Other Lab Duties
⢠Perform assigned lab duties related to lab maintenance and operation.
⢠Advise and train junior CDD researchers on animal handling or other lab techniques.

Supervision: This Research Professional 6 will report to Dr. Zhengqiang (ZQ) Wang. 
Advise and train junior CDD researchers on animal handling or other lab techniques.
 

Working Conditions: The majority of the work in this position is performed in a multidisciplinary wet lab.

Work arrangements: This role is offered as an on-campus position where you are required to be onsite at our Twin Cities campus on a regular basis. 

Required Qualifications:
⢠PhD, MD, or equivalent degree in Pharmacology, Clinical Medicine, Toxicology, or a related field, plus 6 years of post-degree research experience.
⢠Demonstrated experience in preclinical toxicology and PK/PD research.
⢠Ability to write manuscripts and maintain a strong publication record as the main author.
⢠Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.
 

Preferred Qualifications:
⢠Prior experience in industry settings.
⢠Proficient in all aspects of laboratory animal handling techniques, including both common and less common drug administration methods (oral, IV, intravesical, intrathecal, etc.), as well as tissue and body fluid collection from various sources (retina, hippocampus, bile, cerebrospinal fluid, etc.).
⢠Hands-on expertise in establishing various surgical and non-surgical disease models (e.g., tumor xenografts, mini-pump implantation, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion) and conducting animal behavior testing and pain assessment (e.g., Tail Flick, Hot Plate).
⢠Proficient in cell culture and diverse molecular and cellular assays, including but not limited to ELISA, flow cytometry, PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry.
⢠Experienced in advanced imaging and analytical techniques, such as spectroscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and hyperspectral microscopy.
⢠Proficient in software tools such as Phoenix WinNonlin, GraphPad Prism, FlowJo, ImageJ, ChemDraw, Compusyn, and TIBCO Spotfire for data analysis, visualization, and modeling.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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