Postdoctoral position in immunology with focus on spatial omics

We have 1 postdoctoral opening to study gut mucosal immunity by spatial omics.  We are interested in immune responses at intestinal membranes which are in constant contact with food, microorganisms, and antigens.  With collaborators, the Gu lab uses mouse models to analyze responses in Peyer's patches in the small intestine to understand the balance between tolerance to commensal microbes and protection against infectious pathogens.  Currently, we focus on comparing cell components, clonal distribution, and gene expression profiles in germinal centers and surrounding zones before and after gut colonization by specific bacteria (similar to the profiling of gut lymph nodes; ref 1).  To understand the specificities and associated gene programs of immune responses to introduced bacteria, we use Pixel-seq (ref 2) to create single-cell atlases of Peyer's patches and lymph nodes and then analyze BCR and TCR clonal expansion in a tissue context by long-read sequencing using Nanopore- and PacBio platforms (ref 3).  Successful candidates will have opportunities to learn cutting-edge technologies, generate novel biological data, and lead assay development and/or data analysis in an interdisciplinary team comprising labs from the UW Biochemistry and Immunology departments and collaborators from other institutes.

References:

1.     Tunable dynamics of B cell selection in gut germinal centres, Nature, 2020, 588, 321

2.     Polony gels enable amplifiable DNA stamping and spatial transcriptomics of chronic pain. Cell, 2022, 185, 4621

3.     The spatial landscape of gene expression isoforms in tissue sections. Nucleic Acids Research, 2023, 51, e47

Requirements:

Applicants should have a Ph.D. degree in related fields including, but not limited to immunology, biochemistry, genetics, bioinformatics, and microbiology.  Desirable backgrounds/skills include:

i)                spatial transcriptomics

ii)               immunosequencing

iii)              bioinformatics

iv)              IHC and FISH

v)               research in gut host-microbiota interactions

Applicants should have a strong publication record, good spoken and written communication skills. Interested applicants should send i) a cover letter briefly describing your previous experience and future research interests/plans, ii) a curriculum vitae, and iii) contact information of three references to Dr. Liangcai Gu (gulc@uw.edu).

Salary:

The postdoctoral base salary is $65,508 effective on January 1, 2023, and will increase to $68,460 on January 1, 2024.  Employees will receive no less than a 2% increase on the anniversary date of their appointment.  UW provides an outstanding, comprehensive benefits package (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/post-doctoral-scholars-and-fellows/).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.