Mechanisms of Anti-Inflammatory Glucocorticoid Action

Supervised by Dr. Robert Newton, in the Airway Inflammation Research Group (AIRG), the successful applicant will achieve a high level of understanding of the literature and be able to design and conduct appropriate experiments. The project will involve functional analysis of the transcriptional programmes that are induced by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) to elicit anti-inflammatory effects. Techniques will include core molecular skills and prior experience in cell culture, transfections, siRNA knock-down, cloning, RNA and protein work (qPCR and western blotting) could be an advantage. The student is expected to gain experiences including running and/or analyzing microarrays or other large data sets, ChIP, adenovirus and/or lentivirus cloning, amplification and use. In addition, or alternatively, a strong interest in bioinformatics and relevant programming could be a major asset.

Qualifications and process: The successful applicant will be an outstanding student. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.5/4.0 (upper second class or above) in their last two years of their prior degree (BSc, MSc) and be otherwise eligible for entry into the graduate programme at the University of Calgary.
Applications should be submitted to Tiz Reiter (below). In conjunction with Dr. Newton, the successful candidate will need to formulate a proposal and provide a nomination package for approval by the University.

Application details: Applications (full CV, covering letter plus details of 2 referees) and requests for information should be e-mailed to: Tiziana (Tiz) G. Reiter: [Email Address Removed]

Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, HRIC Room 4AC70, 3280 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6
Further information can be found under the Airway Inflammation Research Group (http://www.ucalgary.ca/airwayinflammation/) and/or Eyes High Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship on the University of Calgary website.

An initial deadline for applications is 30th Sept 2015, but appointments would occur earlier for an excellent applicant. A successful applicant would be aiming to commence studies, at the latest, by the start of 2016.