Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Protein Metabolism

A Postdoctoral Fellowship in Protein Metabolism is available in the laboratory of Teresa A. Davis, Ph.D. at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at Baylor College of Medicine.  The CNRC is an internationally recognized leader in pediatric nutrition and is located in a state-of-the art research facility in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX.  Our laboratory studies the role of nutrition in the regulation of muscle growth with the overall goal of developing nutritional strategies to guide the feeding of low birth weight infants and young pigs to promote muscle growth.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct research related to one or more of the following research areas: identification of the mechanisms by which nutrients regulate protein synthesis and degradation in the neonate; discovery of the signaling components in the nutrient and growth factor signaling pathways that regulate the developmental changes in protein synthesis and degradation; determination of the intracellular mechanisms by which leucine is sensed by neonatal muscle in vivo and the role of these signaling components in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis and lean growth; identification of the impact of low birth weight and prematurity on growth regulation; investigation of the effect of different feeding modalities on protein synthesis, growth, and body composition during the neonatal period; and development of dietary interventions to promote lean growth and mitigate fat accretion in the at-risk neonate.  Preterm and term neonatal pigs are used as translational models.

The position offers the opportunity to gain technical experience in tissue and whole body protein turnover using stable- and radio-isotope methodology, pancreatic-substrate clamps, energy balance and body composition assessment, muscle morphometry, cell proliferation, nutrient signaling, and molecular biology laboratory techniques. The Postdoctoral Fellow will participate in the CNRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program designed to promote the career development of the CNRC Fellows.