UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE FARMACOLOGICHE
E BIOMOLECOLARI – DiSFeB
Direttore: Prof. Giorgio Racagni
Ph.D. student position available at the Università degli Studi di Milano
A position for a Ph.D. student is available at the Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e
Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano in the doctorate program in Biochemistry. The
position is under the program PEOPLE – Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN), FP7-
PEOPLE-2013-ITN, in the project “NR-NET”.
The candidate will work in the project focused on “Analysis of the role of HDACs in energy
metabolism” and more specifically will investigate how class I HDACs affect energy metabolism in
skeletal muscles and adipose tissues. To address this questions both cellular and mouse models
will be used. Tissue specific knock-out mouse models of class I HDACs will be generated to assess
the contribution of skeletal muscle and adipose tissues in the antidiabetic and antiobesity effects of
class I HDAC inhibition (Diabetes, 2013, vol. 62, pp. 732-742). Furthermore, ChIP-seq analysis will
be performed to determine the genomic landscape and the epigenetic signature of mouse models.
The candidate should have a background in molecular biology, biochemistry and possibly good
knowledge in glucose, lipid and energy metabolism, epigenetics, nuclear receptors and regulation
of gene expression. During the doctorate program the Ph.D. student will spend short periods in
laboratories of other “NR-NET” participants for training purposes.
Eligible applicants must, at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, be in the first four
years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and not yet have been
awarded a doctoral degree. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which
would formally entitle them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree
was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether
or not a doctorate is envisaged. Candidate can be of any nationality. They are required to
undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up their
appointment. One general rule applies to the appointment of candidates: At the time of recruitment
by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work,
studies, etc) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately
prior to the reference date. Short stays such as holidays and/or compulsory national service are not
taken into account.
Applications, containing full CV, detailed academic career, motivational statement and at least two
letters of reference should be e-mailed by July 15, 2013 to the following contact:
Maurizio Crestani, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biochemistry
Laboratorio “Giovanni Galli” di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare del Metabolismo
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari – DiSFeB
Università degli Studi di Milano
Milano, Italia
e-mail: Maurizio.Crestani@unimi.it
ph: +39 02 50318393/1
fax: +39 02 50318391
Prof. Maurizio Crestani, Laboratorio “Giovanni Galli” di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare dei Lipidi – Spettrometria di Massa
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari – DiSFeB, Università degli Studi di Milano
via Balzaretti, 9 – 20133 Milano, Italia
tel: +39 02 503-18393/1; fax: +39 02 503-18391; email: Maurizio.Crestani@unimi.it; http://users.unimi.it/DPS