A postdoctoral or visiting scholar position is available immediately at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and the Eagles Diabetes Research Center to investigate the neural control of feeding behavior and etiological mechanisms of obesity and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, in genetic mouse models.

Hypothalamic AgRP neurons are critical for regulation of feeding and body weight, as acute ablation of these cells in adult mice leads to anorexia and profound weight loss (see Review Article: Wu & Palmiter, Eur. J. Pharmacol., 2011). We demonstrated that such anorexic phenotype is fully reversible with the aid of a GABA-A receptor agonist and that GABA release from AgRP neurons onto neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBN) is essential for maintenance of appetite and body weight (Wu et al., Cell, 2009). Furthermore, we identified a novel excitatory hindbrain circuit and associated signaling pathways that mediates appetite (Wu et al, Nature 2012).

This newly established laboratory is fully funded and well equipped, which permits utilization of cutting-edge technologies including, conditional gene targeting, viral-based gene transfer, immunocytochemistry, in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiology, functional profiling of novel drug targets, and CLAMS system-based metabolic and behavioral analysis. In addition, the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine has outstanding core research (microscopy & imaging, histopathological, genomic, proteomic and transgenic) facilities, for the rapid advancement of research work.