Postdoctoral Scholar

UC Davis, Department of Dermatology; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Dermatology at UC Davis is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar in Immunology and Microbiology to join Dr. Sasha Shafikhani's lab.

The role focuses on host tissue interactions with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to guide interventions that improve wound healing. Projects use animal wound models and generate large datasets; candidates will design experiments, collaborate across institutions, and contribute to manuscripts and conferences while building independent

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in microbiology, cell, molecular or structural biology or related field.
• Experience in microbiology and animal research.
• Experience in transcriptomics is viewed positively.
• Maintain detailed laboratory notebooks and document reagents/data for publications and grants.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, communication, and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Develop independent research projects leveraging NIH-funded program resources.
• Direct own projects with guidance as needed to gain independence.
• Collaborate with a multi-institution, interdisciplinary team.
• Author manuscripts and present findings at scientific conferences.

Skills

Microbiology experience

Animal research experience

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in microbiology or related field

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Department of Dermatology at the University of California, Davis invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar in the area of Immunology and Microbiology.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Th A postdoctoral scholar position is available immediately in the lab of Dr. Sasha Shafikhani in the Department of Dermatology at UC Davis. The successful candidate will develop independent research projects leveraging the resources, experimental outcomes and data generated from the NIH-funded program. The overall goal of this project is to assess the interplay between host tissue and bacterial pathogens (namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) to integrate these data to direct interventions to reduce infection and enhance wound healing. Projects utilize small and large animal models of wound infections and wound healing. Outcomes are large data sets of temporally acquired wound images, wound transcriptomes & metabolomics, and immunohistochemical wound analysis, flow cytometric analysis of inflammatory cells in the wound environment, and host interactions. The fellow will have the opportunity to direct their own projects with as much or as little guidance as needed for success, with the dual goals of contributing to the knowledge generated by the program and to the mentee becoming mostly independent over time. Opportunities include the conduct cutting-edge research on the biology of wound healing, design and execution of experiments to investigate inflammation in the context of tissue repair, the ability to collaborate with a multi-institution, interdisciplinary team, and to author manuscripts and present findings at scientific conferences.

TERM OF APPOINTMENT: Minimum initial appointment will be 100% (full time) for one-year with renewal depending on performance.

QUESTIONS

Please direct questions to Dr. Shafikhani at [e-mail]

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Graduate degree (PhD or equivalent) in microbiology, cell, molecular or structural biology or a related field. Candidate must have experience in microbiology and animal research. Experience in transcriptomics is viewed positively. Candidate also must be able to keep a complete and detailed laboratory notebook of experimental procedures and data and to archive and document reagents and data for publications, grant proposals, and presentations. Solid organizational skills are a must. Prior experiences in animal wound models, molecular biology, inflammation, and microbiome, are a plus. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal, communication, and decision‑making skills and the ability to work well both independently and as a part of a team.