Public Health Laboratory Post-Doctoral Fellowship

The Fund for Public Health in New York City (FPHNYC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of all New Yorkers. In partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), FPHNYC incubates innovative public health initiatives to advance community health throughout the city. FPHNYC facilitates partnerships between government and the private sector to develop, test, and launch new initiatives, supporting rapid implementation to meet public health needs.

About the Role

We are a multidisciplinary team of more than 200 laboratory professionals, spanning key Public Health Laboratory (PHL) areas including bacteriology, virology, and environmental science. Past fellows have advanced to managing PHL units in NYC and other states, as well as industry positions and laboratory fellowships at CDC.

The New York City Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is seeking to host a post-doctoral fellow. The fellowship experience is designed to provide comprehensive training that prepares fellows for careers in public health laboratory science. Training is tailored to each fellow’s unique background and interests, offering experiences such as:

• Working on the front lines of a pandemic response to serve NYC communities
• Developing assays for new and emerging pathogens
• Interacting with senior NYC Health Department leadership and developing management skills
• Collaborating with academic laboratories and state and federal government agencies such as New York State Wadsworth Center and CDC

Responsibilities

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will participate in a two-year structured training program combining hands-on laboratory experience, research, public health response, and leadership development. Responsibilities include:

• Rotating through key Public Health Laboratory units to gain hands-on experience in laboratory testing, quality management, biosafety, biosecurity, and laboratory information systems.
• Supporting ongoing laboratory projects, investigations, and public health response activities.
• Participating in the development, validation, and implementation of laboratory assays and methodologies.
• Conducting independent or collaborative research related to public health laboratory science.
• Analyzing laboratory data and communicating findings to laboratory leadership and other public health partners.
• Presenting research findings at professional conferences and contributing to manuscripts and other scientific publications.
• Participating in laboratory leadership meetings and gaining experience in laboratory administration, budgeting, personnel management, and operations.
• Collaborating with epidemiologists, clinical partners, academic institutions, and local, state, and federal public health agencies.
• Completing structured laboratory rotations while working with assigned mentors to develop technical, research, leadership, and management skills.

Program Structure

The two-year post-doctoral fellowship training program focuses on four main activities: 1) laboratory sciences; 2) didactic learning; 3) research; and 4) laboratory leadership and management. Fellows will be introduced to all areas of the public health laboratory, including testing, quality management, biosafety, information systems, and administration. Rotations are tailored to the fellow’s background, goals, and interests, with the following template:

• Central Accessioning: 2 weeks
• Bacteriology: 8 weeks
• Mycobacteriology: 6 weeks
• Molecular Typing and PulseNet: 3-4 weeks
• Virology/Molecular Core: 6 weeks
• Diagnostic Immunology: 4 weeks
• COVID/STI Quickie Laboratory: 1 week
• Biothreat Response: 1-2 weeks
• Environmental Microbiology: 2 weeks
• Environmental Chemistry: 2 weeks
• Whole Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics: 4 weeks
• Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Rotation: 2-4 weeks
• Quality Management: 1-2 weeks, plus routine meetings throughout both years
• Biosafety and Biosecurity: 1-2 weeks, plus routine meetings throughout both years
• Laboratory Information Systems: 1 week, plus routine meetings throughout both years

Fellows will actively support current projects, perform independent research, present data at national conferences, and author/co-author publications. They will also participate in leadership meetings within and outside the PHL, with select NYC PHL leadership serving as mentors.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in life sciences (PhD, DrPH, DSc, etc.) or medical degree (MD, DO, etc.)
• Graduate education in microbiology, virology, immunology, or environmental sciences
• Demonstrated ability to think critically and independently and lead research projects
• Demonstrated ability to work well as part of a team
• Willingness to learn about new laboratory methodologies and governmental policies

Schedule

Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; 35 hours per week. Hybrid work modality: 4 days in office, 1 day remote.

Pay

$80,000-$85,000 per year.

Benefits

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) policy
• Medical, dental, and life insurance with low or no employee contribution
• Retirement savings plan with generous employer contribution
• Flexible spending medical and commuter benefits plan

Additional residency requirement: You must live in the New York City Tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) to be considered for this position.