Mentor Areas
The Eisch Lab performs basic research relevant to motivation and cognition in normal animals and models of neuropsychiatric disorders.
We use a range of techniques, including but not limited to inducible transgenic mouse lines, viral-mediated gene transfer, animal behavior, visualization/analysis of proteins in mouse and rat brain tissue, microscopy, and stereology. Most of our projects use some level of computer coding (Python, R, MatLab).
The Eisch Lab is organized into "teams" - Team Cognition, Team Brain-Bladder, Team Addiction, and Team ISS - who work closely together on projects although teams interact with each other as well.
Description:
In the coming year, we are looking for new members to help us with these studies in rodents:
Activity of hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons during memory consolidation (NIH/NIMH funded project).
Members of "Team Cognition" will help us examine the activity of neurons during memory formation and consolidation. Successful candidate(s) will volunteer (10-15h/week for minimum 1 semester), take course credit (e.g. 3999), or perform work study (10-15h/week for minimum 1 semester) to learn mouse handling and colony maintenance, behavioral testing of mice, brain processing, microscopy, and computer coding (Python, R). Experience in rodent handling/behavior is welcome and experience in coding (MatLab, Python, R) is preferred, no prior experience in a lab is necessary.
Role of neuroinflammation in disrupted brain-bladder communication (NIH/NIDDK funded project).
Members of "Team Brain-Bladder" will help us examine adult mouse brains for expression of inflammation markers after early life urinary tract infection. Successful candidate(s) will volunteer (10-15h/week for minimum 1 semester), take course credit (e.g. 3999), or perform work study (10-15h/week for minimum 1 semester) to learn western blotting of brain tisses and eventually work hands-on with our mouse studies of brain-bladder communication. While experience in rodent handling, rodent brain/tissue processing, and coding (MatLab, Python, R) is welcome, no prior experience in a lab is necessary.
Assess the collection of dentate gyrus neurons active in the early stage of opioid addiction (pilot studies).
Members of "Team Addiction" will help us examine mouse brains for neurons that express a key protein that reflect recent neural activity. Successful candidate(s) will volunteer (10-15h/week for minimum 1 semester) or take course credit (e.g. 3999) to learn brain sectioning, stereology (cell counting), and eventually work hands-on with our mouse studies using an opioid compound. While experience in rodent brain/tissue processing, microscopy, and coding (Python, R) is welcome, no prior experience in a lab is necessary.
Assess behavior of mice who flew on the International Space Station (pilot studies).
Members of "Team ISS" will help us catalog the behavior of mice during a flight on the International Space Station. Successful candidate(s) will volunteer (10-15h/week for minimum 1 semester) or take course credit (e.g. 3999) to learn how to identify specific mouse behaviors expressed during weightlessness and score videos of mice from the ISS. While experience in rodent behavior and coding (Python, R) is welcome, no prior experience in a lab is necessary.
Preferred Qualifications
For all Eisch Lab candidates, personal characteristics desired include maturity, curiosity, eagerness to learn, accountability, communication skills, and ability to work on a team.
If interested in an Eisch Lab position in general, check out our publications on Pubmed or Google Scholar, and then send Dr. Eisch a brief email. Please also provide a CV in pdf form listing classes taken, employment (if any), extracurricular activities, and hobbies; you'd be surprised what life experiences or fine motor skills are relevant to working in a basic research laboratory.
Project Website
Learn more about the researcher and/or the project here. Eisch Lab
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.