Summary of research

Postdoctoral research associate positions are available immediately to work on three NIH-funded projects on the role of preconception environmental exposures on sperm epigenetics and early-life development that span human cohort studies and animal models at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Projects comprise of multiple population-based studies including the Sperm Environmental Epigenetics and Development Study (SEEDS), which has been enrolling couples seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF) to understand the associations between preconception paternal exposures to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), such as phthalates, sperm epigenetics, and embryo development. In parallel to our human studies, we are examining embryonic inheritance of sperm epigenetics after preconception environmental exposures in male mice. Lastly, we are investigating the role of the environment on sncRNA expression of extracellular vesicles from human seminal plasma. Together, these projects utilize a variety of locus-specific and next-generation techniques such as RNA-seq, RRBS, and WGBS, as well as EPIC arrays in human and mouse sperm and mouse embryos. Opportunities for postdoc-driven independent research are also possible.

Required qualifications

• A Ph.D. in molecular biology, biochemistry, cellular biology, genomics, environmental health sciences or a related field.
• A strong publication record.
• Candidates with a strong background in epidemiology, epigenetics, male reproductive biology, next-generation sequencing, and/or computational biology/bioinformatics are preferred. 
• The successful candidate will be expected to work independently on projects, generate and analyze data, help graduate students, and write manuscripts.

Required application materials

Email a one-page letter describing your research interests, your curriculum vitae, and the contact information of three references to Dr. Richard Pilsner, rpilsner@wayne.edu.