Research Senior Associate - Pathology

The Ohio State University; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ohio State University invites applications for a Research Senior Associate in the Medicine | Pathology departments to study the immunopathogenesis of SLE, lupus nephritis, and RA. The role combines advanced immunology with RNA regulation and computational analyses to identify RNA-mediated pathways that drive immune dysregulation and tissue injury in autoimmune disease.

You will work with multi-omics approaches and murine models, publish in high‑impact journals, present findings at scientific

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Immunology or related field; PhD preferred.
• 3 years of relevant experience with Bachelor's, or 1 year with Master's.
• Strong immunology background and experience with RNA-seq data.

Responsibilities

• Investigate roles of T cells and dendritic cells in SLE, lupus nephritis, and RA.
• Define disease-associated immune cell states using transcriptomic, epigenomic, and spatial omics approaches.
• Integrate computational and experimental approaches to uncover mechanisms and therapeutic targets.
• Identify RNA regulatory networks and RNA-binding protein–mediated mechanisms that control immune activation and pathogenic function.
• Perform multi-parameter flow cytometry, intracellular cytokine staining, ELISAs, and T cell–dendritic cell co-culture assays.
• Execute murine autoimmune disease models.
• Assess disease outcomes including proteinuria, renal pathology, joint inflammation, autoantibody production, and immune cell phenotypes.
• Publish findings in high-impact journals, present at scientific meetings, mentor trainees, and contribute to grant applications.

Skills

T cell biology

Dendritic cell biology

Transcriptomic data analysis

Flow cytometry

FlowJo analysis

Immunological assays

Education

Master's degree in Immunology or related field

Ph.D. preferred

Tools

R

Python

Seurat

Scanpy

Job description

Job Title:Research Senior Associate - PathologyDepartment:Medicine | Pathology

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher to investigate the immunopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the integrated study of immune cell function and RNA regulatory mechanisms. The successful candidate will combine advanced immunological approaches with genomic and computational analyses to identify RNA-mediated pathways that drive immune dysregulation, kidney inflammation, and tissue injury in autoimmune disease.

Responsibilities

• Investigate the roles of T cells and dendritic cells in SLE, lupus nephritis, and RA
• Define disease-associated immune cell states and molecular pathways using transcriptomic, epigenomic, and spatial omics approaches
• Integrate computational and experimental approaches to uncover biologically actionable mechanisms and therapeutic targets
• Identify RNA regulatory networks and RNA-binding protein–mediated mechanisms that control immune cell activation, differentiation, and pathogenic function
• Perform multi-parameter flow cytometry, intracellular cytokine staining, ELISAs, and T cell–dendritic cell co-culture assays
• Execute murine autoimmune disease models
• Assess disease outcomes including proteinuria, renal pathology, joint inflammation, autoantibody production, and immune cell phenotypes
• Publish findings in high-impact journals, present at scientific meetings, mentor trainees, and contribute to grant applications

Required Qualifications

Master's Degree in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related field or equivalent experience required. Ph.D. preferred. 3 years of relevant experience required with Bachelor's Degree, or 1 year of relevant experience required with Master's Degree. Strong background in immunology, including T cell biology and dendritic cell biology. Experience with transcriptomic data analysis, including bulk RNA-seq and/or single-cell RNA-seq. Demonstrated research productivity with peer-reviewed publications in immunology, RNA biology, genomics, or autoimmune disease. Experience with multi-color flow cytometry, immune phenotyping, and FlowJo analysis. Proficiency in immunological assays.

Preferred Qualifications

Expertise in RNA biology, RNA-binding proteins, post-transcriptional gene regulation, alternative splicing, or non-coding RNAs. Experience with single-cell multi-omics, ATAC-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and integrative computational analyses. Experience with murine autoimmune disease models and immune cell isolation. Proficiency in R, Python, Seurat, Scanpy, or related bioinformatics tools. Experience with adoptive transfer, bone marrow chimeras, spectral flow cytometry, CyTOF, or humanized mouse models.

Additional Information:Location:Tzagournis Medical Research Facility (0163)Position Type:RegularScheduled Hours:40Shift:First ShiftFinal candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.