What is molecular biophysics? Our interdisciplinary area of research combines concepts from physics, biochemistry, and materials science to tackle some of the most exciting biological questions.
The Finkelstein lab mission is to understand the biochemical pathways that allow cells to replicate and repair their genomes with extraordinary fidelity. We are focused on two highly inter-related themes: (a) Human DNA mismatch repair, (b) CRISPR-based gene editing. Research openings in both areas are available for quantitatively-minded students with a background in physics, chemistry, or biochemistry.
Interested candidates should first visit http://finkelsteinlab.org and review our recent publications. Contact manager@finkelsteinlab.org with your CV, unofficial transcript, and a one page description of prior research.
Sophomores or juniors with previous research experience (e.g., FRI, iGEM, NSF REU, lab research). Coding and bioinformatics experience in Python or Java is a plus.
The candidate must be available for research during both the Fall and Spring semesters (minimum 15 hours/week). The candidate must be available for summer research. The candidate should attend our weekly group meetings (9:30 AM on Mondays) and our journal club (noon-1 pm on Thursdays).
Projects will be tailor-designed with the student's prior experience and interests in mind. Initially, students will be led by a senior graduate student or postdoc. Those interested in computational biology will help to develop new tools for analyzing high-throughput DNA sequencing and microscopy datasets. Students with a biochemistry background will help to purify proteins, perform biochemical and biophysical assays, etc. Outstanding students and excellent research performance will result in an opportunity to conduct semi-independent senior research.
