Postdoctoral Fellow - Genetics

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 64,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

The McAllister Laboratory in the Department of Genetics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center invites a creative, independent postdoctoral fellow to explore diet, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Our work focuses on immune-microbiome-tumor interactions and tumor ecosystem dynamics to identify new targets for cancer interception and therapy.

The fellow will perform bioinformatic analyses of gut, oral, and tissue microbiota (16S rRNA, WGS), metabolomics of sera,

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Strong background in bioinformatics and multi-omics.
• Experience analyzing microbiota (gut/oral/tissue) using 16S rRNA sequencing or WGS.

Responsibilities

• Conduct bioinformatic analyses of human gut, oral, and tissue microbiota (16S rRNA, WGS).
• Perform metabolomic analyses of patient sera and cytokine profiling of clinical specimens.
• Integrate multi-omics data, conduct QC, statistics, and data visualization.
• Prepare scientific manuscripts and presentations in collaboration with the team.

Skills

Bioinformatics

16S rRNA

WGS

Metabolomics

Spatial transcriptomics

Data visualization

Multi-omics integration

Education

PhD

Tools

R

Python

QIIME2

Cytokine profiling

Job description

The McAllister Laboratory in the Department of Genetics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is seeking a creative, independent, and highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join our team and pursue research projects related to diet, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Our laboratory studies the interplay among the immune system, microbes, and tumor behavior. We are fundamentally interested in understanding how these interactions ultimately determine tumor initiation, progression, therapy response, and metastasis. We are especially interested in fostering a deep understanding of tumor ecosystems from a functional perspective to ultimately discover new targets within the tumor-host ecosystem for cancer interception and therapy.

The postdoctoral fellow will conduct bioinformatic analyses of human gut, oral, and tissue microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), as well as metabolomic analyses of patient sera, cytokine profiling of clinical specimens, and spatial transcriptomic data analysis. The fellow will perform data quality control, statistical analyses, data visualization, and multi-omics integration in collaboration with interdisciplinary research teams. The successful candidate will communicate scientific findings and contribute to the preparation and dissemination of research through scientific publications and presentations, while demonstrating a strong work ethic, technical expertise, and commitment to team objectives.

All duties and responsibilities are carried out in compliance with institutional policies, ethical research standards, and applicable federal and state regulations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The individual will learn not only experimental methods for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying pancreatic tumorigenesis in mice via spatial transcriptomics, in addition to the translation of this data into patient datasets but more importantly how to execute and complete a research project in the most effective and efficient way. They will develop the ability to perform experiments and drive projects independently and productively. Working closely with the PI and other lab members as a team, they will learn to write and submit manuscripts, write fellowship and grant applications, and publish high-profile papers. Toward the end of their postdoctoral training, they will be ready to become independent investigators and faculty members.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

PhD

POSITION INFORMATION

MD Anderson offers full-time postdoc positions with a salary ranging from $64,000 to $76,000 depending on the number of years of postgraduate experience. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.

Offsite work arrangements are subject to approval and may be modified or revoked at any time based on business needs, performance considerations, or regulatory requirements.

This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.

It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html