One of Canada's Top 10 Research Hospitals, Sunnybrook Research Institute is developing innovations in care for the more than 1.3 million patients the hospital cares for annually.
Sunnybrook Research Institute is the research enterprise of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Research spans three Toronto-based campuses, eight programs and three scientific platforms. Our main aims are to understand and prevent disease, and to develop treatments that enhance and extend life. Our vision is to invent the future of health care. Each year, we conduct about $100 million in research across 500,000 square feet, including in the world's first Centre for Research in Image-Guided Therapeutics.
Dr. Stephan Ong Tone's laboratory, within SRI's Biological Sciences Platform and the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto, investigates mechanisms of corneal endothelial degeneration and regeneration, with a major focus on Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). The research program integrates human donor corneal tissue and cell models with molecular and cell biology, quantitative imaging, transcriptomic approaches, and translational gene- and cell-based strategies. Current themes include cellular stress resilience, mitochondrial and cytoskeletal dysfunction, apoptosis, endothelial regeneration, and therapeutic development.
The post-doctoral fellow will support ongoing corneal endothelial and FECD projects, maintain and develop core experimental workflows, and work closely with the PI, trainees, and collaborators. The role is well suited to a highly organized scientist who enjoys hands-on bench work, careful quantitative record-keeping, troubleshooting, and building reproducible laboratory systems.
Summary of Duties:
• Conduct molecular and cell-biology experiments supporting corneal endothelial degeneration, regeneration, and FECD research, with increasing independence as competency is demonstrated.
• Receive, document, process, and experimentally use human donor corneal tissue and research specimens in accordance with approved protocols and institutional requirements.
• Maintain corneal endothelial cell models; perform experimental treatments, transfection/transduction, and related cell-based assays.
• Perform routine molecular and imaging techniques such as RNA/DNA/protein extraction, RT-qPCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence/immunohistochemistry, microscopy, and quantitative image analysis.
• Assist with oxidative-stress, mitochondrial, cell-viability, apoptosis, migration, and other mechanistic assays relevant to ongoing projects.
• Maintain complete and accurate laboratory records, sample inventories, reagent logs, experimental metadata, standard operating procedures, and quality-control documentation.
• Analyze data using appropriate software; prepare graphs, figures, and summaries for lab meetings, abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, and grant applications.
• Support experimental planning, literature review, troubleshooting, method optimization, and replication/validation studies.
• Coordinate routine laboratory operations including ordering, inventory, equipment upkeep, shared-space organization, and liaison with SRI core facilities.
• Follow SRI policies for biosafety, human-tissue research, data management, and research integrity; assist with ethics/biosafety documentation when required.
• Participate in lab meetings and collaborative projects and, where appropriate, help train students or new team members in established techniques
Qualifications:
• Research-based PhD degree in molecular biology, cell biology, biomedical science, neuroscience, vision science, biochemistry, or a related discipline is required. PhD must have be completed within last 5 years.
• Demonstrated experience with mammalian cell culture is strongly preferred. Experience with primary cells, human tissue, or ocular/corneal models is an asset.
• Practical experience with several of the following is preferred: RT-qPCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence/immunohistochemistry, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis, cell-viability or stress assays, and basic molecular cloning/transfection workflows.
• Experience with AAV or other gene-delivery systems, transcriptomic datasets, flow cytometry, mitochondrial assays, or ocular research is an asset but is not required.
• Comfort with quantitative data analysis and figure preparation. Experience with GraphPad Prism, Excel, ImageJ/Fiji, R, or Python is an asset.
• Knowledge of laboratory biosafety, WHMIS, responsible conduct of research, and human-research/tissue-handling requirements is preferred; required institutional training can be completed after hire.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple experiments and deadlines without compromising data quality.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, scientific curiosity, reliability, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
Application materials: Please submit a CV and a brief cover letter describing relevant laboratory experience, technical skills, and interest in corneal/vision research. Selected candidates must provide 2 references. Email: stephan.ongtone@sunnybrook.ca Subject Line: Post Doctoral Fellow Application