Cutting-Edge Research
Join Our Research Lab
We accept scientists at any point in their career, whether you are just beginning your journey in research or are a seasoned expert with years of experience. Join us in our mission to build pipelines for rare, otherwise untreatable diseases.
✓ Hands-on mentorship
✓ State of the art facilities
✓ collaborative team
Graduate Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows
Past post-doctoral fellows and graduate students in the lab now hold tenure track faculty positions as well as successful positions in academic teaching and industry. If interested in applying, please email a cover letter explaining your career goals, your reasons for interest in joining our group, and what you hope to gain from your post-doctoral training/ graduate studies along with an updated CV and reference list to Peter Todd at petertod@umich.edu.
Read our recent papers in Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, Neuron, Molecular Cell, PLoS Genetics, or Elsewhere
Current Projects
Current Projects include:
- Native functions for nucleotide repeats in RNA transcription, mRNA localization, protein translation, and neuronal plasticity
- Discover new short tandem repeats in the genome that contribute to the risk of neurologic disease
- Assess Repeat-associated non-AUG initiated (RAN) translation modifiers as therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disease
- Create in vivo maps of repeat RNA binding proteins in neurons and determine how they contribute to repeat expansion toxicity
- Develop and assess novel therapeutics for repeat expansion disorders
We Also Encourage Scientists To Follow Their Own Ideas
Rotational Graduate Programs
Our group is accepting rotating graduate students from Neuroscience, PIBS, and Cell & Molecular Biology programs. Our lab offers exciting projects and a fun environment that emphasizes graded independence, intra- and inter- lab collaborations, and the growth of our students into future leaders who present at national and international meetings.
Students can currently join our lab through:
Funding Options
- All current graduate students can apply for the Michigan Life Science Fellow Program, which provides an exceptional salary and benefit profile
- EMBO Long Term Fellowship
- If applying from the EU
- American Australian Foundation
- If applying from Australia
- Additional Post-Doctoral Fellowships worldwide can be found here
We Also Encourage Scientists To Follow Their Own Ideas
Living in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is an amazing town with outdoor activities, cultural events (theater & music scene), an active campus life, and good restaurants. Consistently rates as one of the most livable cities in America. We are close enough to big cities (Detroit, Chicago, Toronto) to allow for easy one night or weekend escapes to get your fix of dense urban life. Additionally, The University of Michigan boasts unrivaled school spirit.
Undergraduate and Masters Students
We welcome applications from smart, responsible, and motivated undergraduate or Master’s students with limited research experience. Entry through UROP or through the form below, usually starting with volunteer work or via work study, has been successful for the 30+ students we have mentored over the past 15 years. Many of those students have completed an Honor’s Thesis, a number are on publications, and many have advanced on to medical school, Ph.D. programs, or both.
In order to be considered as an undergraduate or masters student, fill out this form. We review undergraduate/masters student applications periodically and only consider candidates via this form. We ask that you do not email your application to ensure you do not get lost in inbox purgatory.