Toxicology Track

Weekly Newsletter of the MSU Center for Integrative Toxicology
Director: Norbert Kaminski/Editor: Lois Furry

May 19, 2008, Vol. 31, Number 17

Seminars Upcoming / Positions

Seminars Upcoming

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology presents Glenn Toney, University of Texas Health Science Center, to speak on "Understanding Salt-Sensitive Hypertension: What Neural Mechanisms Link Elevated Plasma Sodium with Sympathetic Activation?" on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 12:00 noon in B448-449 Life Sciences.

Thursday, June 19, 2008
*The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology presents Dr.Steven Segal, University of Missouri, to speak on "Integrating Electrical and Calcium Signaling in Microvascular Resistance Networks” on Thursday June 19, 2008 at 12 p.m. in B448-9 Life Sciences Bldg.

*Fulfills seminar requirements for the Environmental and Integrative Toxicological Sciences Graduate Programs. Seminars that fulfill this requirement are archived at Seminar List.

Positions

Nalco, a water treatment and process improvement company, has an opportunity available for a senior toxicologist with the Corporate Quality & Product Registration Group in Naperville, IL. Primary responsibilities include: generate environmental fate and ecological toxicity data and/or hazard assessments for the different products, raw materials or intermediates; plan, execute and supervise ecotoxicity testing programs in support of product safety and effluent toxicity assessment, or other government compliance activities (NPDES permitting, discharge requirements, etc); function as a liaison and lead on various regulatory issues, from domestic to global; maintain the integrity of substance regulatory data within databases; provide direction on product hazard classification based on sound knowledge of toxicology principles; interact with Safety, Health & Environment (SHE), marketers, researchers and legal department; work with customers to address product related issues; provide guidance and inputs to material safety data sheets (MSDS) and label requirements; serve on a team of responders to chemical emergencies; represent Nalco to the different trade associations, scientific and research meetings, and other programs for the advancement of the company. Successful candidates will possess the following qualifications: a Ph.D. in Toxicology or an MS in Toxicology with at least 2 years of directly related industrial experience; proficiency with EPI Suite preferred. Nalco offers competitive salaries and benefits with unlimited growth opportunities. To learn more about us and to apply on-line, please visit the Careers section of their website at: www.nalco.com

A postdoctoral position is available for a candidate interested in studying the effects of RSV infection on cytokine, chemokine, co-stimulatory and inhibitory responses, adaptive immune infiltration, viral receptor responses, and innate immune gene responses to RSV in lung in vivo. Our lamb model closely mimics human disease and is one of the few pre-term models of RSV infection. We have banks of tissues in-hand for a rapid and productive start. The trainee will also have the opportunity to further shape the project into other areas or into an in-depth focus, depending upon interest. The position is a joint project between Dr. Mark R. Ackermann, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University (ISU) and Dr. Subramaniam Krishnan of MedImmune, Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The trainee will be able to use a wide range of approaches that involve cultured cells, animal studies, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, highly-advanced qPCR, immunohistochemistry, laser capture microdissection, confocal microscopy, and microbiology. The individual will have the opportunity to work with faculty active in inter-disciplinary research including: Dr. Mark R. Ackermann (pathologist), Dr. Albert Van Geelen (molecular virologist), Mr. Jack Gallup (PREXCEL-Q inventor and qPCR innovator), as well as graduate students, veterinary students, undergraduate students and other highly active research projects and seminar series at ISU; Dr. Subramaniam Krishnan of MedImmune; Dr. Randy Sacco at the USDA/ARS-National Animal Disease Center (immunologist); and additional collaborators of the Ackermann laboratory at the University of Iowa’s College of Medicine. A D.V.M., Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., or equivalent degree(s) are required for consideration. Experience/interest in respiratory disease, innate immunity, cell biology, physiology and microbiology is desired. Iowa State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Please send application including curriculum vitae and names of three references to: Dr. Mark R. Ackermann, Department of Veterinary Pathology, 2738 College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Hewlett Packard has an opening for a regulatory toxicologist to be a part of the HP Supplies Environmental and Regulatory Management team and to support HP Inkjet supplies programs. This person would be based in San Diego, California; Corvallis, Oregon; or Vancouver, Washington. The person in this position would be part of a team of professional Toxicologists that partner with product design teams to improve product health, safety & environmental performance and product compliance. Major Responsibilities: Conduct toxicological assessments and document findings for inkjet supplies product research and development program teams. Ensure product compliance to world wide chemical regulatory requirements. Identify and set product environmental goals and assure alignment with business objectives. Ensure toxicology assessments are consistent with SERM procedures, applicable regulatory requirements and are completed at each checkpoint in the product development cycle. Assure product development teams are aware of the product environmental performance goals and are periodically updated on pending changes in product regulatory requirements. Conduct new and existing chemical registrations for various countries and regions where chemical registration schemes exist. Support hazard communication and labeling reviews and ensure compliance with all country requirements where HP does business. Support the Supplies Environmental and Regulatory Management team and programs including stewardship, recycling solutions and regulatory management. Requirements: Masters Degree in Toxicology with 5 years experience or a PhD in Toxicology with 2 years experience desired. Demonstrated experience in evaluating and documenting environmental and product safety reviews. Thorough knowledge of world-wide regulatory requirements for chemical products; thorough knowledge of world-wide chemical registration requirements. Ability to develop procedures and implement processes for assessment and documentation of product environmental and regulatory performance and ability to analyze the risks associated with product design options and develop and present alternatives to the product development teams. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent project leadership skills and ability to work with a wide range of people at different levels and varying disciplines is also required. Excellent project management skills. Travel less than 10%. The ideal candidate will have experience managing interdisciplinary project teams and working cross functionally. It is also desired that the candidate have demonstrated and thorough knowledge of chemical and environmental regulations and design for environment processes. The candidate will have the demonstrated ability to track several projects and associated products during the development phase. The candidate will have the demonstrated ability to conduct or participate in an analysis of risk by providing clear summary of facts and conclusions. The candidate will identify and present alternatives for a successful path forward. To apply, go to http://h10055.www1.hp.com/jobsathp/ and search for Regulatory Toxicologist #220744.

URS Corporation has an opening for a senior staff scientist. The successful candidate will be supporting the Risk Assessment Team as needed. On a day-to-day basis, he/she will be examining, compiling, and analyzing chemical and biological data that will be used in human health risk assessments (HHRAs). Other duties will include report document preparation/organization and support to chemists and biologists as needed. Overall, the candidate must be flexible and able to change focus from one assignment to another quickly as projects may require. Also, the candidate must be able to multi-task when several projects are being worked on simultaneously. Other essential skills include problem identification and solving, data compilation and management, and internet "mining" of scientific data. The candidate will gain a more thorough understanding of environmental chemistry, human health toxicology, and environmental toxicology. He/she will also increase his/her knowledge of the risk assessment process as prescribed in federal and state guidance. Primarily, the projects will be HHRAs of toxic waste sites, military bases, and industrial facilities. As needed, the candidate will assist in a support capacity for ecological risk assessments (ERAs). Initially, the candidate will primarily be working with numeric data (e.g., chemical data, toxicological study data, and statistical results) in support of HHRAs. Excellent writing skills are essential since after becoming familiar with URS format for HHRAs, the candidate will be writing portions of risk assessments. Client interactions will be minimal but will expand as the candidate gains experience in risk assessment. Candidate will be a member of the Denver Risk Assessment Team within the Environmental Planning and Assessment Group. The Risk Team currently has five members - 3 human health toxicologists and 2 ecological risk assessors. All team members have either a MS or a Ph.D. and up to 30 years of experience in consulting. The candidate will also be interacting directly with chemists and database experts who will supply much of the site-specific data used in risk assessments. This position will report to the Risk Team Leader. The career path would move from a support position to one of preparing HHRAs on an independent basis. The career path could continue in the technical area or become more project management oriented. Risk assessment is a very technical, detail-oriented discipline. The successful candidate must be meticulous in his/her approach to data preparation and analysis. The Risk Team is a dynamic, professional team that has strived over the years to provide assessments that are clearly written and conform to federal and state guidance. All assessments must be scientifically defensible in the face of regulatory scrutiny. Requirements: Master’s degree in toxicology, physiology, or environmental chemistry required. Minimum of 4 years risk assessment-related experience required. Must have working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, Access. This is a full-time position in the Denver office and candidates must be willing/able to work some overtime if project schedules require. For immediate consideration, submit your resume online at http://www.urs.apply2jobs.com for requisition # URS29005.

Postgraduate Research Participation Program at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/National Center for Environmental Assessment (EPA/NCEA) in Cincinnati, OH, administered by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has a postdoctoral opening. U.S. EPA's Ecological Risk Assessment Support Center (ERASC) provides technical information and addresses scientific questions on topics relevant to ecological risk assessment at hazardous waste sites for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) and Regional Superfund/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) staff. A research project is available through the Postgraduate Research Participation Program at EPA National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) in Cincinnati, Ohio. [This program is administered by the (ORISE) (http://see.orau.org/).] Under the guidance of the Director of ERASC, the participant will be involved in developing responses to requests from the Ecological Risk Assessment Forum (ERAF), a group of EPA regional and Headquarters’ risk assessors. Responses are usually in the form of 15 to 30-page white papers and cover a broad range of topics. Examples of final or external review draft papers can be found at http://www.epa.gov/erasc. The participant may be involved in authoring or co-authoring one or more papers, reviewing and modifying other papers as necessary, and assisting in the development of reports. Throughout this internship, the participant will interact with EPA risk assessors and scientists. The appointment will be for one year and may be renewed upon recommendation of EPA and the availability of funding. The participant does not become an EPA employee. A full project description that includes a link to the application can be found at http://orise.orau.gov/sep/needs/files/EPA-NCEA-2007-03.pdf.