Post-doc in Marine Ecophysiology/Environmental Toxicology

Postdoctoral Scholar - A postdoctoral scholar is sought to work on a multidisciplinary  NSF-funded project to investigate interactive effects of heavy metals, hypoxia and temperature stress on mitochondrial function and bioenergetics of marine bivalves (see project summary below). The primary research tools are physiological in nature (e.g. determination of enzyme activities, measurements of the respiration rates of isolated mitochondria, isolated cells and whole-organisms, determinations of blood P_O2 and pH, etc.).

Minimum Qualifications: PhD in physiology, toxicology, biochemistry or closely related fields. Prior experience in ecological physiology or toxicology of aquatic organisms is preferred. Experience with isolated mitochondria and/or primary cell cultures of aquatic organisms would be a strong asset.

Typical Duties: Maintain experimental oyster stock and perform exposures to cadmium, hypoxia and temperature stress. Determine oxygen consumption rates and mitochondrial membrane potential of isolated mitochondria and isolated cells in the primary culture. Measure metabolite concentrations and enzyme activities in oysters, and study expression of key mitochondrial proteins by RT-PCR and/or Western blot techniques. Participate in writing research papers and grant proposals.

Successful applicants will receive a stipend (starting range $33,000-$36,000 depending on experience) plus fringe benefits from UNCC. Position starts immediately and is for 2 years.

Initial Review of applicants will begin on September 15, 2009 and continue until the position is filled. Information about Dr. Sokolova’s research and lab is available at http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/Faculty/Sokolova/index.htm or from Dr. Sokolova by e-mail: isokolov@uncc.edu.

Please send a statement of research interests and goals, CV, and the names, telephone numbers and addresses of three professional references to:
Dr. Inna Sokolova, Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte NC 28223 or isokolov@uncc.edu.

UNCC is an equal access, equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and educator. Women and minority researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.

LiT: Interactive Effects of Multiple Environmental Stressors on Mitochondrial Metabolism and Bioenergetics in a Model Marine Ectotherm, Crassostrea Virginica

Project summary

While among the most productive areas of the ocean, estuaries and coastal zones often suffer a high degree of environmental stress from naturally-occurring changes in salinity, temperature, pH, oxygen content as well as manmade stresses caused by the dumping of pollutants and nutrients, which can cause toxicity in marine organisms and/or lead to oxygen-depleted “dead zones”. The survival of marine organisms depends on the flexibility of their stress tolerance mechanisms, which adapt to handle most natural changes, but manmade changes happen too quickly for evolutionary adaptation to occur. Energy metabolism plays a key role in these adaptations. Currently, the interactive effects of multiple stressors on energy metabolism of marine organisms in an environmentally-realistic context are not well understood because most studies focus on the effects of a single stressor. This study will help close this significant gap in knowledge by exploring the basic physiological and molecular mechanisms of the interactive effects of three stressors commonly found in estuaries and coastal zones (intermittent anoxia, or lack of oxygen; a trace metal, cadmium; and temperature stress) on the energy metabolism of a model marine mollusk, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Oysters, which are major ecosystem builders and play an important role in the economies of the eastern US coastal states, can survive environmental extremes, making them excellent model organisms for this study.

The study involves a comprehensive analysis of  aerobic (mitochondrial) and anaerobic metabolism and will significantly advance the field of metabolic physiology by providing an integrative picture of metabolic change during environmentally-realistic stress exposures that can be quantitatively and qualitatively different than the effects of single stressors. Moreover, because energy metabolism is central to the survival and stress tolerance of all organisms and mitochondrial functions are highly conserved in evolution, the project results can be extrapolated beyond oysters to yield important new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of mitochondrial stress responses of marine invertebrates in general. This project will have important educational impacts by involving undergraduate, graduate, K-12 students and a post-doc, including women and underrepresented minorities, into research; strengthening an environmental focus in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Biology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and fostering active collaborative programs and student exchanges between UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University, a local minority undergraduate-level university.