Postdoc in Immunology/Synthetic Biology/Microbiome Engineering in the Bucci Lab - UMass Chan Medical School

A postdoctoral associate position is available in the Bucci Lab for a highly motivated candidate with a PhD in immunology, molecular biology, microbiology, synthetic biology, or a related discipline. The Bucci Lab is embedded in the vibrant research environment of the Program in Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and is highly collaborative with other labs within and external to UMass Chan.

The selected candidate will work on the development of live bacteriotherapeutic product to induce intestinal immunity. The selected candidate will combine aerobic and anaerobic culturing techniques, bacterial engineering, to construct next generation probiotics aimed at modulating immune systems and resident gut microbiome dynamics under different conditions. The selected candidate will perform in vivo experiments and record related immunological measurements to be used for calibration and validation of machine learning methods (developed in the Lab) needed to link microbial taxa and functions to specific immune effectors.

This project provides an excellent opportunity to learn and further develop a variety of techniques. The selected candidate will work independently to design and execute experiments. Results of this project will be presented at seminars and scientific meetings, which may involve travel. The post-doctoral fellow will also prepare and submit manuscripts, and may assist with grant preparation.

Qualifications: Education, experience and skills required for consideration:

  • PhD. in immunology, molecular biology, synthetic biology, or related disciplines

  • Experience with working with animal models (e.g., mice)

  • Experience with ELISA, immunohistochemistry, bead-based or flow cytometric cell separation techniques

  • Experience with sequencing libraries preparation

  • Experience with bacterial metabolism and metabolic engineering highly preferred

  • Experience with bioinformatics and sequence analysis pipelines highly preferred

  • Strong work ethic, highly motivated to apply skills towards solving biological problems

  • Excellent analytical skills and independent judgement

  • Highly collegial; works well independently and as a team member

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to communicate with precision and tact

  • Meticulous recordkeeping

To Apply:

Applicants should submit the following materials by email to vanni.bucci2@umassmed.edu: A letter describing past and current research and your specific interest in this position, ab CV (including publications), and contact information for three references, one of which should be your Ph.D. advisor.

Maryse Thomas