Computational Immunobiology Postdoctoral Associate

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe.

Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine—along with the Duke University School of Nursing and Duke University Health System—comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

About the Role

The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) continues to lead cutting-edge vaccine research against infectious diseases that impact global health. Basic science discoveries made using a variety of human and pathogen-derived proteins, designed, expressed, and purified by a collaborative DHVI team, have contributed to the identification of vaccine and therapeutic candidates currently being produced in Good Manufacturing Practice facilities for early-phase clinical trials.

This computational immunobiology postdoctoral position is appropriate for a candidate who is enthusiastic and willing to undertake multiple molecular biology and computational approaches to evaluate host immunity elicited by candidate HIV vaccines when administered prophylactically and/or therapeutically in combination with novel immunotherapies. The Williams lab has state-of-the-art equipment for single-cell omics assays and support for computing power for data analyses.

Dr. Williams has been awarded a NIH UM1 grant to develop new vaccine strategies that can induce more protective immune responses in the non-human primate (NHP) model by exploring innovative mRNA constructs for immunogen delivery that can elicit both protective and therapeutic B and T cell responses. Recently, Dr. Williams was also awarded a NIH U01 grant to develop new vaccine strategies that can induce antibodies in early-life capable of preventing HIV-1 infection in pediatric populations.

Requirements

• PhD in Immunology, Data Science, and/or related fields, or MD/PhD with molecular biology research experience.
• Experience with analyzing omics data.
• Familiarity or direct experience with analysis of 10x Genomics data sets using the Cell Ranger pipeline and additional analysis tools.
• Writing experience, including manuscripts, grants, and/or abstracts for scientific meetings.
• Ability to manage multiple and rapidly changing priorities and quickly learn new skills.
• Detail-oriented, well-organized, with strong communication skills and the ability to work in an interactive team environment.
• Desire to design, execute, analyze, archive, and review wet lab experiments in a manner that is scientifically justifiable, reliable, and understandable to others under the guidance of your supervisor.
• Understand and comply with all safety standards and procedures to ensure a safe working environment for all laboratory staff.
• Collaborate with other staff and perform other duties as requested by the Principal Investigator or senior lab staff.

Benefits

Duke University provides a competitive benefits package, including:

• Comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs.
• Generous retirement benefits with employer contributions.
• Generous paid time off.
• Retirement programs with employer contributions.
• Tuition assistance for employees and their children.
• A wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs.

Pay

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position based on the current year Duke and NIH Postdoc guidelines. Factors considered when extending an offer include (but are not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations.