Post-Doc Research Associate

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education and research.

Patient care: We promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.

Education: We prepare tomorrow`s healthcare professionals and biomedical researchers from all backgrounds by facilitating learning within innovative and integrated curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education to ensure a highly skilled workforce.

Research: We develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers and resources. We provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our university to support outstanding research. We foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic and population research.

Our collaborative and multidisciplinary translational tumor immunology group (https://pirl.unc.edu/) is seeking to hire a research associate who is highly skilled in cytometry and functional analysis of T cells to lead a project discovering tumor antigen-specific T cell receptors and mechanisms of resistance to antigen-specific T cell cytotoxicity in human cancer and tumor model systems. The goal of this research is to develop novel immunotherapies for this cancer which has a poor prognosis and very few if any good therapeutic options. The successful applicant will be able to conceive, plan, and execute experiments independently, as well as to analyze data and lead a small team in executing research goals in collaboration with principal investigators and other lab members. Beyond cytometry and functional T cell studies, experimental work will include single cell transcriptomic and T cell receptor analyses using human cell lines, primary tumor samples, and murine models. There will be substantial interaction with lab members working in bioinformatics and computational biology as well as opportunity for training in these areas if the applicant desires. As part of this work, they will be expected to lead and contribute to academic products including presentations, manuscripts, and patents deriving from their experimental results. If desired, the applicant will have the opportunity to be the lead author on presentations, manuscripts, and grants derived from their work.

PhD in related field.

The successful applicant should have at minimum a PhD in immunology (or similar discipline) or equivalent experience, with documented expertise in leading research projects through to completion. They will also have demonstrated technical excellence in cytometry (flow cytometry and/or mass cytometry) including processing of samples for high-quality cytometry analysis, high-throughput functional analysis of T cell populations, experience with murine immunotherapy treatment experiments, and capacity to independently analyze single cell multi-omics data (including T cell transcriptome + TCR data) in the context of immunotherapy response assessment.

PhD in related field.

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at (919) 962-9982 or send an email to opahr@unc.edu.

Please note: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.