Career: Research (academic)

This is a call for applications for the 2021-22 Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund fellowship, which pays full tuition plus a stipend of $18,000 for up to three years.  U.S. citizens pursuing a graduate degree in 2021-22 in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture or other formal professional training) are eligible. The selection committee has a strong preference for supporting scholarly endeavors.

Penn is permitted to forward three nominees.  An internal selection process will be coordinated by the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.  For the purposes of the internal competition, students should complete the application and submit the requested supporting documentation by November 29, 2020.    

This internal Penn application requires 1 letter of recommendation from a professor (not a postdoc or lecturer) who has taught or worked closely with you. You will request this through the application process, but please alert your preferred recommender as soon as possible so as to give your recommender ample time to submit letters of recommendation before the November 29 Penn Deadline. Penn will require additional letters, including an optional letter from the Dean of your Graduate School or your Department Chair, if you are nominated.

Please prepare the following:

1. A completed version of this document. For now you may omit the financial aid information and tax returns.
2. Most current CV
3. Unofficial undergraduate and graduate transcripts
4. Copy of graduate exam scores, or a statement explaining why these were not needed.
5. A Statement of Purpose up to three pages long (double spaced) which considers the relationship between your graduate level study and your intended personal and/or professional goals. Your Statement of Purpose must include a 10-15 line abstract at the top (included in the three pages) that explains, in LAYMAN’S  terms, the essence of your proposed topic of study or dissertation, the methodology of its treatment and its anticipated impact on your field of study.

Once that is prepared, visit the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Internal Application to request your letter of recommendation and submit your application.

Please note that official transcripts, official copies of test scores, FAFSA, School Financial Aid Summary and tax returns, and additional letters of recommendation will only be required if you are chosen as one of the three institutional nominees.

A postdoctoral research fellow position is available in the Ruggero lab at the University of California, San Francisco at the Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center (Mission Bay Campus), to study the molecular mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene expression in health and disease. Several open questions in the lab include: how does oncogenic signaling remodel the ribosome and the translation machinery to drive cell growth and cellular transformation? What is the translational landscape of cancer cells during distinct steps of tumor evolution? What are the mechanisms in cis and trans for “onco-mRNA” translational selectivity?

The potential candidate will utilize mouse models for components of the translation machinery in combination with novel proteomics, ribosome-profiling, and pharmacological strategies to study the dynamics of translation control in gene expression, in normal and cancer cells. Highly motivated individuals with a recent Ph.D., M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. and a background in mouse genetics, biochemistry, or cellular and molecular biology are encouraged to apply. Evidence of scientific accomplishment is required and bioinformatics skills are desirable. Requests should be addressed to: Davide Ruggero (davide.ruggero@ucsf.edu) and Jane Jayme (krizlyjane.jayme@ucsf.edu).

Please visit our webpage at https://ruggerolab.ucsf.edu/.