Postdoctoral Research Associate, Pulmonary

The Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine within the School of Medicine at The University of Virginia is seeking four Postdoctoral Research Associates to work on the integrative projects under the mentoring and supervision of the Director of Center for Translational Genomics Initiative in Respiratory Diseases. The research goals of the Center are to determine the function of genes identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in respiratory diseases, including asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Annotation of non-coding GWAS variants to the disease causal genes has been the bottleneck for fully translation of human genetic discoveries into pathobiology of lung diseases. We have applied CRISPRi screening and MPRA screening to identify functional variants in the GWAS loci. Additionally, we also combine ex vivo lung organoid models, in vivo lineage tracing and lung slices to evaluate functional impacts of these causal genes. We are interested in how these novel GWAS genes determine alveolar epithelial repair/regeneration, modulate lipid and glucose metabolism, regulate RNA modification and fine-tune innate immune response in epithelial progenitors intrinsically and through cell-cell communications. Additional translational projects will involve in vivo delivery of compounds, drugs, siRNA or nanoparticles targeting these novel GWAS genes for treatment.

Postdoctoral candidates with solid knowledge and strong skills related to ATAC-Seq, HiC or HiChip Assay, cut-and-run, CRISPR editing, epithelial biology, organoid models, cellular metabolism and innate immune response, as well as strong motivation to work in a dynamic and challenging research area are strongly encouraged to apply. We also encourage applications from candidates with combined skills in molecular biology and single or bulk RNA sequencing data analysis.

Duties/Responsibilities Include:

• Assist with laboratory experiments.
• Collect data and samples, and data analysis.
• Assist in manuscript preparation of research findings.
• Literature and manuscript review.
• Attend and/or present at related seminars and national and international conferences.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Postdoctoral employment is temporary and is normally limited to an individual who has been awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate within the previous five years and who will be involved in full-time research or scholarship at the University. Employment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate is viewed as training and is preparatory for a full-time academic or research career, is supervised by a senior scholar, and allows the appointee to publish the results of his/her research or scholarship during the training period.

The position is a 12-month appointment with the possibility of renewal contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding.

Minimum Qualifications:
Education: PhD, MD, or equivalent degree

The position will remain open until filled. This is an exempt-level, benefitted position. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. A pre-employment health screening is required. This position is located in Charlottesville, VA.

To Apply:

Please apply through the UVA job board, and search for R0064670. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs'. Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV/Resume
• Cover letter
• Contact information for 3 references

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

For questions about the application process, please contact Jessica Russo, Academic Recruiter, at sxv9zv@virginia.edu.

For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician's Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.