The Daws Laboratory in the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at UT Health San Antonio is seeking a highly motivated and creative Postdoctoral Fellow to conduct innovative NIDA- and NIMH-funded research on the role of monoamine transporters in substance use disorders, and the circuitry of emotional behavior. Current research is focused on:
- Investigating organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) as a novel target for the treatment of psychostimulant disorders.
- Understanding the role of OCT3 and the serotonin transporter (SERT) in circuits driving fear-conditioned behavior.
Through this fellowship, the selected candidate will gain expertise in a variety of techniques, including in vivo electrochemistry, optogenetics, shRNA knockdown, tamoxifen-inducible OCT3, and SERT knockdown, and behavioral techniques, including conditioned place preference, and fear conditioning. The selected candidate will be encouraged to develop an independent line of research. Additional structured opportunities for scientific and career development are available via T32 training grants at UT Health SA.
Lab Focus:
Research in the Daws lab focuses primarily on biogenic amine transporters, how they are involved in psychiatric disease states, such as depression and addiction, and importantly, how they are modulated by therapeutics, drugs of abuse, and novel drugs to treat these disorders. The Daws lab is well known for its use of in vivo electrochemical techniques, biochemical and behavioral approaches to measure activity of these transporters in living animals. The Daws lab studies high-affinity, low-capacity (“uptake 1”) transporters, which include serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine transporters (SERT, DAT and NET), as well as low-affinity, high-capacity (“uptake 2”) transporters, including organic cation transporters (OCTs) and plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT).
UT Health San Antonio, located in San Antonio’s Medical Center, is one of the country’s leading health science universities. San Antonio is known as a historic and culturally diverse city with a population of over 1.5 million. Cultural and recreational opportunities abound, including the historic downtown with the Alamo and Riverwalk. San Antonio is also ranked among the topmost affordable cities to live in.
Candidates must have a recent doctoral degree in Neuroscience, Pharmacology, or a related discipline, and a strong interest in conducting drug abuse and/or mental health research. Prior experience with rodents is preferred. Applicants must be US citizens or have Permanent Resident status.
Send a CV, a brief statement of research/training goals, and the names and contact information of three references to Lynette C. Daws, PhD (daws@uthscsa.edu). Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.