Postdoctoral Associate

About the Role

The Hinson lab at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and UConn Health is seeking an independent, highly motivated PhD-level scientist to join our group studying the mechanisms of inherited heart failure and other muscle disorders. The lab combines human pluripotent stem cell biology, tissue engineering, genome editing, and multi-omics assays to understand how genetic variants disrupt heart function and to develop therapies.

Key Responsibilities

Depending on the candidate’s interests and expertise, projects may include:

• Cardiac physiology in 3D engineered heart tissue (EHT) models, using human iPSC-derived EHTs and microtissues to measure contractile force, kinetics, and calcium handling for disease modeling and therapeutic strategy testing.
• Mouse models of heart failure, involving characterization of cardiac structure and function in vivo (including echocardiography), and molecular and histological phenotyping to validate mechanisms and therapies.
• Large-scale in vivo genetic perturbation using pooled, Perturb-seq-style approaches in the heart to define gene function and disease mechanisms at scale, paired with single-cell and multi-omic readouts.
• Sarcomere assembly and function, with collaboration on pluripotent stem cell biology, 3D microtissue assays, super-resolution microscopy, and structural biology to define sarcomere assembly mechanisms.

Qualifications

• PhD (or equivalent) in cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, genetics, bioengineering, or a related field.
• Strong background in at least one of:
• Stem cell differentiation
• Cardiac or muscle physiology
• Mouse models of disease
• Genome editing (CRISPR)
• Single-cell genomics
• Experience with advanced imaging, protein-protein interaction studies, or computational analysis of sequencing data is a plus.
• A record of scientific productivity, including publications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.

Application requirements: Current CV, at least 2 letters of reference, and a 1-page (maximum) statement of Research Interests and Career Goals.