Postdoctoral Fellow, Migraine Neurobiology

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Program Overview

AbbVie needs outstanding individuals willing to challenge themselves to find the best solutions for our patients. The AbbVie Postdoctoral Program is one way we are doing just that. AbbVie Postdoctoral Fellows serve as technical experts who investigate, develop, and optimize new methods and techniques to address critical project or functional area needs. Participants will improve existing or develop new laboratory methods and processes, read and adapt literature to accomplish assignments, and should have mastery of a range of experimental techniques and data analysis specific to their area of expertise.

The Postdoctoral Program supports investigational and experimental research where publication is an important component. Participants will be mentored by renowned industry scientists and collaborators at AbbVie and focus on delivering cutting-edge advancements in Discovery, Development Sciences, and Aesthetics which includes fields such as chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical science, and computational information sciences. This enriching training program offers a balance of supervised investigation and work experience in a learning environment that will expose the participant to activities across the drug development process.

We are seeking scientists from U.S.-based academic institutions who can be matched to projects within their area of scientific expertise for this unique 2-3-year assignment. Applicants who are awarded a postdoctoral position will have the opportunity to build a solid career foundation in the pharmaceutical industry while contributing to advancing human health through AbbVie’s industry-leading biopharmaceutical pipeline.

Role Overview

Allergan Aesthetics Biological Research is seeking a highly motivated and innovative postdoctoral fellow who will conduct independent research on neurobiology of migraine. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving research studies using electrophysiology methods aimed at investigating mechanisms underlying sensitization of nociceptive neurons in the context of migraine chronification. The postdoc will design and execute patch-clamp electrophysiology experiments in tissue slices and dissociated neuronal culture to test specific hypotheses related to chronic sensitization. The postdoc will organize, analyze, and interpret results, communicate and present at team meetings and contribute to high-profile scientific publications. The candidate will be working in a regulated and controlled environment and must be willing to adhere to strict guidelines for working with Select Agent protein toxins. The postdodc will play a key role in advancing our understanding of migraine pathophysiology.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and validate a rodent migraine model using behavioral assays.
• Drive patch-clamp electrophysiology experiments in primary neurons and tissue slices.  
• Perform immunohistochemistry in cultured cells and tissues to evaluate neuronal activation.
• Perform data analysis, write scientific reports, and provide presentations to multidisciplinary teams and to management.
• Publish findings in scientific journal(s).
• Demonstrate a high level of proficiency and expertise in the field.
• Set and meet goals and experimental timelines.
• Learn, understand, and master new experimental techniques.
• Understand and adhere to corporate standards regarding code of conduct, safety, appropriate handling of materials, controlled drug, Select Agent toxin material, and animal care where applicable.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD in Neuroscience or related field (summer and fall graduates are also welcome to apply).
• Strong knowledge and experience with tissue slice electrophysiology. The ability to perform electrophysiology on brainstem slices is a must.
• Experienced and demonstrated success as primary author of publications and presentations.
• Accurate record keeping, training and adherence to lab safety standards/protocols.
• Exceptional scientific writing, communication and presentation skills.
• Expert knowledge of MS-Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), graphing software (e.g., GraphPad prism, SigmaPlot) and strong understanding of statistical analyses.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with rodent migraine models.
• Experience with in vivo electrophysiology.  

Key Leadership Competencies:

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of team to enable higher performance.
• Learns fast, grasps the "essence" and can change course quickly where indicated.
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
• Creates a learning environment; open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation, and manages to reality.

Candidates progressing to the final round of the interview process will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation (including one from the Thesis Advisor) and a letter of intent to pursue the postdoctoral position.

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​​

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.​​

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.​​

• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. ​​

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. 

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. 

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