Post-Doctoral Research Fellow - Dept. Of Microbiology & Immunology

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.

VCU School of Medicine is searching for a postdoctoral researcher with expertise and interests to join a research team focused on molecular and cellular microbiology. The team is particularly focused on: 1) role of the microbiome of the female reproductive tract on women's gynecologic and reproductive health; 2) elucidating human gene expression patterns in response to colonization by different microbial taxa; and 3) developing and applying high throughput DNA and RNA sequencing to characterize viral variants with relevance to pathogen evolution, infectivity, and transmission.

The successful applicant will have experience in cellular and/or immuno-biology and/or human gene expression in after exposure to selected microbial taxa. The successful candidate will participate developing and implementing microbial (viral, bacterial, etc.) genome sequencing under the umbrella of our funding as an academic partner in the CDC-funded Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence (https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0920-PGCoE-network.html), where particular attention is focused on viral pathogens including but not limited to Sars-CoV-2, Hepatitis A virus, Influenza Viruses (including avian influenza). The successful applicant will also participate on studies of the human microbiome and its effect on human health, with a particular focus on the microbiome of the female reproductive tract. Responsibilities among other objectives will include establishing cellular systems, including tissue culture, multicellular systems and organoids for investigating the mammalian cellular response to bacterial colonization and biofilm formation. Experience in cell biology, cell culture, nucleic acid purification and manipulation, RNA seq, single cell and/or spatial biology, epigenomic profiling, or manipulation of large sequencing data sets is a plus.

Required Hiring Standards:

• The successful applicant will be an experienced cellular, molecular, or microbiologist. Required is a Ph.D. Molecular Biology, Molecular Microbiology, Immunology, Infectious Disease, or related field.

• Must have a demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in past experiences or a commitment to do so as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at VCU

The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

This is a restricted position with no set end date and continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran's period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

ORP Eligible: Yes

Salary Range: commensurate with experience

Position Details:

Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Employment Type: PD - Post Doc

Restricted Status: Yes

FTE: 100

Exemption Status: Exempt

Contact Information:

Contact Name: SOM HR