The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) invites applicants for its innovative, NIH-supported, Post-doctoral Fellowship Program in Tissue Engineering (TE). Two new positions are available with start between 1 Sep 2006 and 1 Dec 2006 . Successful postdoctoral fellow candidates pursue training in musculoskeletal TE, encompassing seven focus areas: artificial organs, bioimaging, biomaterials, bone and muscle, gene therapy, stem cell biology, and transplantation. PTEI is a unique consortium of major research institutes and universities in southwestern Pennsylvania , with linkages to the regions biotech industry.

The PTEI Postdoctoral Fellowship is unique in that each fellow is assigned a primary and secondary mentor chosen from PTEIs member institutions -based on correspondence between mentors expertise and fellows prior training and desired TE focus. Postdoctoral fellowship positions are awarded with researchers in the PTEI network, including: Allegheny General Hospital , Carnegie Mellon University , Duquesne University , University of Pittsburgh , and the UPMC Health System. Potential mentors include MDs, DVMs, DDSs, PhDs, and researchers with dual degrees. The fellowship is two years with an optional third year if the mentors and fellow agree. Fellows also receive training in the ethics of research, experimental design, statistical analysis, and enroll in specialized stem cell and biotechnology commercialization and intellectual property courses offered by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh .

According to NIH/NIBIB eligibility criteria, a trainee must be a citizen or non-citizen national of the U.S. or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence . Applicants with a Ph.D., M.D., and related advanced degrees are eligible. A record of scientific achievement is highly desirable. Competitive training stipends and health insurance are provided.

Please click the url below to view the Post Doctoral Ad:

Postal Doctoral Fellowship Tissue Engineer (http://ctherd.typepad.com/PTEI_combined_Postdoc_recruit_ad_063006.doc)

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, bibliography, a two-page description of research interest, and arrange to have three letters of recommendation sent to:
Joan F. Schanck, M.P.A., Director of Education
Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative, Inc.
100 Technology Drive , Cellomics Building , 2nd Floor
Phone: 412-235-5230 FAX: 412-235-5120
E-mail: jschanck@ptei.org; http://www.ptei.org (http://ptei.org)

Please note: Currently, both postions are open, please submit application packet as soon as possible.

Link has been updated with correct link. Please review again, if you got an error orginally.

Attention: C. Herd

Two postdoc positions are currently open. For consideration, submit your CV, research interest statement, and 3 letters of recommendation.

Below is a quick descriptor of the program. Attached are the calls for application.

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program represents the most advanced of all PTEI educational programs. By its nature, tissue engineering (TE) requires a highly interdisciplinary environment, which makes an ideal training ground for the tissue engineers of the future. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is of prime importance to the mission of PTEI, because it is often the final educational experience prior to a trainee’s independent scientific career and thus is a critical link between academic research laboratories and the larger world of independent academic research and commercialized biotechnology. The Fellowship Program began in January 2000. Both local foundation and federal funding have provided initial funding. Effective September 30, 2002, PTEI was awarded a 5-year, 1.1 million grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to support postdoctoral training in musculoskeletal tissue engineering for research in medicine and surgery. The Program draws upon experienced mentors from the PTEI-supported institutions and is unique in that each fellow is assigned a primary and a secondary mentor, chosen from the member institutions and based on the correspondence between the mentors’ expertise and the fellows’ prior training and desired focus within tissue engineering. The mentors include M.D.s, D.M.D.s, D.D.S.s, Ph.D.s, and individuals with dual degrees.

Participants receive individualized training, encompassing relevant course work and laboratory experiences at PTEI’s affiliate research institutions. The fellowship is two years in length, with an optional third year if the mentors and fellow agree, and providing ongoing funding is arranged. The fellowship is based on a preceptorship model – each fellow is assigned to a primary and a secondary mentor. The fellows participate in selecting the sequence and sites for their training, and are enrolled in a technology commercialization and intellectual property course through Carnegie Mellon University. The remarkable interdisciplinary nature of TE provides the strong driving force for establishing a highly coordinated research training experience. Mentoring teams recognize the essential nature and value of the multidisciplinary research experience. With our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, we continue to develop a formal mechanism through which the breadth of structural TE possibilities can be exploited.

For more information on the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, contact Joan F. Schanck, MPA, Director of Education, at 412-235-5122 or email: jschanck@ptei.org