The Huntley Lab at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences is looking to recruit a talented postdoctoral fellow to conduct experiments to study harmful algal bloom (cyanobacterial) toxins, including microcystin toxin MC-LR, and the use of bacteria (i.e., bioremediation) to degrade these toxins from drinking water.  MC-LR, and other cyanobacterial toxins, are of great public health concern because they can cause liver cancer, gastrointestinal disease, neurotoxicity, skin lesions, and other major health problems. Applicants should have hands-on experience in various microbiology, molecular biology, and biochemical techniques.  The ideal candidate also should have previous experience in bioinformatics and analysis of genomic and transcriptomic datasets. In previous studies, the Huntley lab isolated and characterized naturally-occurring bacteria from Lake Erie that degraded MC-LR into non-toxic fragments.   As an extension of those studies, the goals of this 3-year NOAA-funded project are to:  [1] Develop and test the feasibility of using microcystin-degrading bacteria in biologically-active water filters (biofilters);  [2]  Test the feasibility of microcystin-degrading bacteria to degrade cyanobacterial toxins from water treatment waste products;  [3] Use bioinformatic predictions to identify putative MC-LR degrading enzymes from genomic sequences (in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]);  [4] Use transcriptomic approaches (RNAseq) to identify putative MC-LR degrading genes (also in partnership with LLNL];  and [5] Express and purify recombinant MC-LR degrading enzymes for water purification applications.  A previous publication on our MC-LR degrading bacteria can be found at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0380133018301977

 

Interested applicants can contact me or apply for this position at:  https://utoledo.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/6/home/requisition/2053?c=utoledo