Over half the human genome is made up of nucleotide repeats. We study both the normal roles these repeats play in neurobiology and neurologic diseases such as ALS, Ataxia, Dementia, and Fragile X Syndrome that result from their expansion. We do this using flies, rodents, and human patient iPSC and hESC derived neurons coupled with biochemical, bioinformatic and molecular tools to understand mechanisms of pathogenesis and develop novel therapeutic strategies.
Current Projects include:
1) Native functions for nucleotide repeats in RNA transcription, mRNA localization, protein translation, and neuronal plasticity.
2) Discover new short tandem repeats in the genome that contribute to the risk of neurologic disease.
3) Assess Repeat-associated non-AUG initiated (RAN) translation modifiers as therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disease.
4) Create in vivo maps of repeat RNA binding proteins in neurons and determine how they contribute to repeat expansion toxicity.
5) Develop and assess novel therapeutics for repeat expansion disorders.
*We also encourage scientists to follow their own ideas.*
Ann Arbor is an amazing town with outdoor activities, cultural events (theater & music scene), an active campus life, and good restaurants. Consistently rates as one of the most livable cities in America. We are close enough to big cities (Detroit, Chicago, Toronto) to allow for easy one night or weekend escapes to get your fix of dense urban life.
Past post-doctoral fellows and graduate students in the lab now hold tenure track faculty positions as well as successful positions in academic teaching and industry.
If interested in applying, please email a cover letter explaining your career goals, your reasons for interest in joining our group, and what you hope to gain from your post-doctoral training along with an updated CV and reference list to Peter Todd at mailto:petertod@umich.edu.
All current graduate students can apply for the Michigan Life Science Fellow Program, which provides an exceptional salary and benefit profile:
IF applying from an EU country, consider the following Fellowship:
IF applying from Australia, consider the following Fellowship:
A useful list of post-doctoral fellowships worldwide can be found here.