Progenitor cells and recovery from retinal injury

The McFarlane lab (https://www.ucalgary.ca/smcfarla/) is interested in how nerve cells are specified and differentiate, and how nerve cells and tissues acquire their correct morphology. We use the developing visual system of zebrafish as our vertebrate model, because of the ease of identifying molecules and mechanisms in the live organism that are important both during embryogenesis, and in a regeneration scenario after injury. We aim to understand how signals in the environment of the embryonic and regenerating eye control cell differentiation and morphogenesis. We want to welcome a graduate student to work on a regeneration project using newly generated CRISPR fish lines to study extrinsic regulation of progenitors after injury to specific cell populations. Prior research experience would be a positive. The McFarlane lab is situated in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (http://www.hbi.ucalgary.ca) at the University of Calgary, and trainees have access to large and vibrant Neuroscience and Developmental Biology/Genetic communities. Enrollment would be in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience (https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/gse/programs/neuroscience). Calgary is 45-60 min from the Canadian Rockies, with fantastic skiing and hiking. Please send a letter of interest, an unofficial transcript and an up-to-date CV to Dr. Sarah McFarlane ([Email Address Removed]).