Postdoctoral
NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship available immediately Dr. Frick’s lab to pinpoint in female and male mice the neural mechanisms through which 17beta-estradiol regulates ubiquitin proteasome system activity in the hippocampus and determine the extent to which proteasomal protein degradation is essential for estradiol to promote memory consolidation and CA1 dendritic spine density.
This work fits into our lab’s overall goal to identify the cellular, molecular, and cell-specific mechanisms in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and other cognitive brain regions through which estrogens regulate memory formation in mice of both sexes. To this end, our research program utilizes a variety of approaches, including targeted intracranial drug infusions, behavioral testing, chemogenetics, fiber photometry, molecular techniques (e.g., western blotting, qPCR), and anatomical methods (e.g., dendritic spine analysis, RNAscope, immunohistochemistry). Ongoing collaborative projects employ RNAseq and mass spectroscopy. The lab is also actively engaged in drug discovery projects designed to develop novel therapeutics for relief of menopausal symptoms. Note that in addition to her academic position, Dr. Frick is also a Co-Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of Estrigenix Therapeutics, Inc. (https://www.estrigenix.com), a start-up pharmaceutical company that aims to improve women’s health by developing safe, clinically proven treatments for the mental and physical effects of menopause.
Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Psychology or related discipline, should be highly motivated to conduct neuroendocrinology research full-time, and able to work both independently and as part of a team. Experience with molecular biology/biochemistry techniques, cell-specific manipulations, virus-mediated cell, circuit, or gene manipulations, calcium imaging, and/or modern gene sequencing methods is especially desirable, as is a background in memory and/or behavioral neuroendocrinology. The position would be ideal for candidates trained in learning and memory looking to gain experience with sex differences or hormonal regulation of memory, or neuroendocrinologists hoping to extend their expertise into learning and memory. Successful candidates will have a strong track record of publication in top neuroscience or neuroendocrinology journals.
Research conducted by neuroscience faculty in the department focuses largely on the neurobiology of learning and memory, with special emphasis on neural plasticity, neuroendocrinology, aging, social and working memory, fear learning, and depression in rodents and humans (http://uwm.edu/psychology/research/neuroscience/). The program is an integral part of the larger UWM neuroscience community and a large multi-institutional neuroscience community in Milwaukee. UWM is a public R1 research university with an access mission that serves >23,000 undergraduate and graduate students and is located on the northeast side of Milwaukee near Lake Michigan.
Please send CV with names of three references and a statement of research interests that explicitly discusses why you would be an ideal fit for the lab to fricklab@gmail.com.
Doctoral
Dr. Frick is currently seeking outstanding applicants for graduate admission for Fall 2024. The most competitive applicants will have gained research experience in behavioral neuroscience or a related discipline from their undergraduate or post-baccalaureate studies. Experience conducting laboratory research with rodents is strongly preferred.
If you are interested our research and would like to apply for Fall 2024 admission to our PhD program, then please email Dr. Frick to discuss your research interests and experience. Please attach a CV to your email to facilitate our discussion.
The Neuroscience area in Psychology has a strong tradition of training graduate students for success in research. Our current and former PhD students have published an impressive number of empirical papers in high-impact neuroscience journals. Our graduates have gone on to postdoctoral fellowships in top neuroscience labs and are successful independent investigators on university faculties throughout the country. For more information about our program, please see: http://uwm.edu/psychology/research/neuroscience/
Please note that the Psychology department’s application deadline is December 1, 2023. Applicants for Dr. Frick’s lab should apply to the Neuroscience PhD program and indicate in their application that they wish to work with Dr. Frick as their primary advisor (“major professor”). The department does not offer a terminal Masters degree for students in Neuroscience. To apply to the PhD program, please see: http://uwm.edu/psychology/graduate/application/