Sea Slug Thieves who Photosynthesize

Opportunity Description:

The McCoy Lab is home to some of the only truly photosynthetic animals on Earth! Certain sea slugs are the only known animals that can steal, house, and benefit from functional chloroplasts inside of their cells; however, despite being studied for over a century, how they do this remains a mystery. We are seeking an undergraduate research assistant to help with maintaining lab populations of these photosynthetic sea slugs and their macroalgae prey. The undergraduate will be responsible for slug and algae husbandry, and eventually, they will assist in conducting heat stress experiments. The position will begin January 19. For any questions, please reach out to Tanner Lee at wtl@uchicago.edu.

Primary Responsibilities: 

The McCoy Lab is home to some of the only truly photosynthetic animals on Earth! Certain sea slugs are the only known animals that can steal, house, and benefit from functional chloroplasts inside of their cells; however, despite being studied for over a century, how they do this remains a mystery. We are seeking an undergraduate research assistant to help with maintaining lab populations of these photosynthetic sea slugs and their macroalgae prey. The undergraduate will be responsible for slug and algae husbandry, and eventually, they will assist in conducting heat stress experiments. The position will begin January 19. For any questions, please reach out to Tanner Lee at wtl@uchicago.edu.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

Prerequisite Knowledge/Skills
Nothing other than basic knowledge about biology and evolution. Everything else will be taught. Attention to detail and willingness to learn is a must!

Responsibilities
Daily
Macroalgae culturing and husbandry
Sea slug husbandry
General aquaculture maintenance (e.g., managing water parameters, light levels, changing tanks)
During experiments
Assisting with photosynthetic performance assays (using a PAM fluorometer)
Potentially assisting with:
Respirometry assays
Taking samples and imagining them using fluorescence microscopy
Taking samples for transcriptomic analysis
Miscellaneous
Attend lab meetings if schedule permits
Biweekly meetings with Tanner to check in

Learning Outcomes
Basics of marine invertebrate lab husbandry
Basic principles of experimental design
Experience with a variety of biological assays (e.g., PAM, imaging)

Prerequisite Knowledge/Skills
Nothing other than basic knowledge about biology and evolution. Everything else will be taught. Attention to detail and willingness to learn is a must!

Knowledge or skills gained from the experience: 

Learning Outcomes
Basics of marine invertebrate lab husbandry
Basic principles of experimental design
Experience with a variety of biological assays (e.g., PAM, imaging)

Application Process: 

Email Tanner Lee to express interest: reach out to Tanner Lee at wtl@uchicago.edu.

Application Deadline: 

Application Requirements: