Postdoc Opportunity - Department of Biological Engineering in the Engelward Laboratory

In this position, you will: 

• Study DNA damage in the context of public health
• Elucidate interactions among repair processes and their biological consequences in vivo
• Use cutting edge approaches for studies of DNA repair and clonal expansion, including 3D organ reconstruction imaging, machine learning, and omics.

An exciting postdoctoral position is now open in the Engelward laboratory to perform studies of interactions among different DNA repair activities and how these interactions shape the biological consequences of exposure to DNA damage. The focus of this public health-oriented project is on DNA methylation damage, particularly as a consequence of exposure to N-nitrosodimethylamine, a probable human carcinogen that can be found in food and water. This project is also relevant to cancer treatment as several methylating agents are used in chemotherapy. Of particular interest are the direct reversal protein Mgmt and the mismatch repair pathway. While extensive in vitro studies have been done on the interaction between these repair processes, much less is known about these processes in vivo. Furthermore, we have recently discovered that Mgmt suppresses clonal expansion events, one of the earliest steps in carcinogenesis, and so a key part of this project is to explore the molecular basis for clonal outgrowths and the potential role for MMR. This project brings to bear recent technological advances, including machine learning algorithms for image analysis, RaDR mice for detecting homologous recombination events, 2-photon microscopy to visualize mutant clones in situ in 3D liver images, and transcriptomics. The ability to perform research synergistically with others is essential. Although experience using mouse models is not required, eagerness to become a leader in animal research is a must. A doctoral degree in the life sciences is required. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Bevin Engelward, MIT Prof. of Biological Engineering and Director of the MIT Superfund Research Program ([email protected]). For a complete list of lab publications, please see https://engelward-lab.mit.edu/publication-highlights/. People of color, neurodivergent people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are encouraged to apply.