Postdoctoral Research Associate - Surgery
Location: Saint Louis, MO 63110
About the role
The Cao Lab aims to better understand why certain cancers are increasing among younger adults by identifying the external and internal factors that shape cancer risk and investigating how these factors converge across life stages to influence cancer development and progression. By integrating population science, mechanistic biology, and implementation science, and leveraging computational innovation, the lab examines these relationships across exposures, tissue types, life stages, and populations to identify opportunities for prevention and early intervention. We are looking for passionate, curious, and collaborative rising leaders with training in molecular epidemiology, data science and informatics, cancer biology, or environmental sciences, who are excited to work across disciplines and help advance this emerging field.
Responsibilities
- Lead interdisciplinary research integrating large-scale population and clinical data with multi-omics, biology, and AI to investigate the causes and biomarkers of early-onset cancers and identify opportunities for precision prevention.
- Develop and execute studies from literature review and hypothesis formulation through study design, protocol development, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination.
- Apply rigorous and reproducible methods to complex population, clinical, and molecular data using R, Python, SAS, or related tools, with well-documented code and analytic workflows.
- Collaborate and communicate effectively with cohort leaders, data providers, clinicians, biostatisticians, bioinformaticians, data scientists, and basic scientists on multisite and multidisciplinary projects.
- Coordinate scientific activities across projects, including data acquisition, harmonization, analysis, and communication among internal and external collaborators.
- Lead and contribute to original and review manuscripts, scientific presentations, and grant applications, and present findings at internal meetings and scientific conferences.
- Mentor graduate students, research assistants, and other trainees.
- Conscientious discharge of research responsibilities in terms of protocols, reports, presentations, and manuscripts.
- Maintain conformity with ethical standards in research and continuous knowledge development in Responsible Conduct of Research.
- Maintain compliance with good laboratory practice including the maintenance of adequate research records.
- Engage in open and timely discussion with mentor regarding possession or distribution of material, reagents, or records belonging to the laboratory and any proposed disclosure of findings or techniques privately or in publications.
- Collegial conduct towards mentors, co-trainees, staff members and members of the research group.
- Adherence to all applicable University policies, procedures and regulations.
- All data, research records and materials and other intellectual property generated in University laboratories remain the property of the University.
- Additional caution in handling data from external collaborators ensuring data safety and security measures.
Working Conditions
This position works in a laboratory environment with potential exposure to biological and chemical hazards. The individual must be physically able to wear protective equipment and to provide standard care to research animals.
Qualifications
- Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent terminal or doctoral degree (required).
- No specific work experience required.
- No specific certification or professional license required.
- Driver's license not required.
Skills
- Collaboration
- Data Analysis
- Data Interpretation
- Experimentation
- Laboratory Operations
- Laboratory Techniques
- Researching
- Results Reporting
- Scientific Writing
Additional Information
Postdoctoral appointments at Washington University have a 5-year term limit that includes previous experience.