10 Postdoctoral Fellowship at National Jewish Health, Denver, United States

To perform, on a very independent basis, all phases of experimental investigations and to collaborate with Principal Investigators and senior researchers in the progress of major research projects.  To act as technical advisor to laboratory technical, support and auxiliary staff.

National Jewish Health, a world leader in respiratory research, in Denver, CO invites applications for a post-doctoral position under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony N. Gerber. This position is focused on genetics and genomics of lung disease, with active projects directed at understanding pharmacogenomics and environmental risk in asthma, and the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in relationship to MUC5B regulation. Experimental approaches include deep sequencing based methods, such as PRO-seq, ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, and MicroC, bioinformatics analysis, and functional genomics. Applicants must have a Ph.D. and exhibit expertise in molecular biology and/or bioinformatics. This highly collaborative position is suitable for scientists planning careers in either industry or academic science, and training opportunities to facilitate career development are available.

Our lab studies host-pathogen interactions with the goal of defining host and bacterial pathways involved in bacterial persistence. Bacterial interactions with the host involve dynamic exchanges where heterogeneity from both sides can lead to many different outcomes. Persistence occurs when the pathogen evades the host immune response and the host is unable to clear the invading pathogen, resulting in stable bacterial colonization. Individuals with persistent infections often do not respond to long-term or repeated appropriate antibiotic treatment and, importantly, serve as reservoirs for the development of antibiotic resistance. We do not understand why certain infections progress to persistence while others do not. Moreover, the host pathways that lead to persistence have remained an underexplored area of investigation. We hypothesize that bacterial persistence within a host is the result of a complex interplay of specific host and pathogen molecular pathways and that understanding these pathways will allow harnessing host immunity to shift the balance from persistence to clearance of infections. Our lab will utilize transcriptional analysis at the single cell level and functional perturbations of both the host and the pathogen to understand how persistence is established and maintained. Our lab uses in vitro and in vivo murine and human models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of epithelial cells. 

Projects in the lab span interests related to type 2 inflammation, parasitic infection, chronic lung disease, and autoimmune/autoinflammatory conditions. Applicants are expected to work well with others in a highly collaborative environment making contributions across multiple projects in addition to driving their own research program. Candidates must have experience or a willingness to learn techniques related to both mouse and human immune models. Expertise in molecular biology, flow cytometry, fluorescent microscopy, cell culture, mouse genetics, and bioinformatics is strongly valued. We encourage anyone with a strong work ethic, high resilience, good communication skills, and desire to learn and make an impact with their science should apply. In particular, candidates that bring novel experiences, backgrounds, training and perspectives are highly valued.

Dr. Hisert is a physician scientist (MD, PhD) at National Jewish Health whose clinical practice and laboratory research is focused on the disease cystic fibrosis (CF). Her laboratory studies cellular and molecular mechanisms of airway inflammation in CF, with a focus on (a) the role of macrophages in both acute and chronic airway inflammation, and (b) interactions of macrophages with bacterial pathogens commonly found in the airways of people with CF. Dr. Hisert’s lab is a highly collaborative group that works closely other research groups at National Jewish Health. Dr. Hisert is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on a project investigating the interactions of macrophages with various CF airway pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and nontuberculous mycobacteria. The project involves isolation of cells from human blood, tissue culture, bacterial culture of BSL2 organisms, and infection of human cells. The project may also involve flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and animal models of disease. Success will require knowledge of innate immunity, microbiology, and host pathogen interactions. A strong background in at least one of these three areas is essential.  

The successful applicant will join a new project focused on investigating the mechanisms linking mis-expression of the mucin MUC5B in the distal lung and terminal bronchioles to fibroblast accumulation and activation in the context of persistent lung fibrosis. Most of the experimental work will be with a mouse model of lung fibrosis, with translational studies being conducted using primary human lung cells and tissues. The project will require a strong background in mouse breeding, multi-parameter flow cytometry, preparation of tissues and pathophysiologic assessments of lung disease, and basic laboratory skills including cell culture, RNA isolation, Western blotting and fluorescence microscopy. A basic understanding of bioinformatic approaches to analyze big RNA-sequencing data sets is desirable. Post-doctoral Associates in our lab are offered opportunities for academic career advancement through mentorship, writing, attending workshops, by presenting their work at national meetings and by seeking extramural funding. Successful applicants will have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in a relevant field, and quality publications in peer-reviewed journal. 

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the laboratory of Irina Petrache, MD, in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine at National Jewish Health, in Denver, CO. 
Our research focuses on mechanisms of lung injury and repair in the pathogenesis of lung diseases. Our goal is to identify therapeutic targets for diseases caused by exposures to cigarette smoke, vaping, and respiratory viral infections, such as COPD/emphysema, pulmonary hypertension, and ARDS. Our research projects employ complementary approaches including molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, pulmonary patho-physiological assessment of small animal models of disease, and translational approaches using human cohorts. Postdoctoral fellows in our laboratory are encouraged and mentored to apply for extramural funding and provided with opportunity to teach, write manuscripts, and present data at international conferences. 

The Seibold Laboratory is a cutting-edge, NIH funded, laboratory focused on elucidating the pathobiological basis of asthma and other complex lung and allergic diseases. Our goal is to discover pathobiological subgroups of disease (termed disease endotypes) and the genetic, environmental, and immune factors driving their development. We are accomplishing these goals through the integration of genomic endotyping studies of large patient cohorts with in vitro mechanistic studies of human organoid culture models. Ultimately, we will leverage the information gained from our research to develop precision medicine approaches for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of these diseases. The Seibold Laboratory is composed of a multi-disciplinary team of “wet lab” cell, airway, and molecular biologists integrated with “dry lab” computational biologists, bioinformaticians, and statistical geneticists.

The Seibold Laboratory is a cutting-edge, NIH funded, laboratory focused on elucidating the pathobiological basis of asthma and other complex lung and allergic diseases. Our goal is to discover pathobiological subgroups of disease (termed disease endotypes) and the genetic, environmental, and immune factors driving their development. We are accomplishing these goals through the integration of genomic endotyping studies of large patient cohorts with in vitro mechanistic studies of human organoid culture models. Ultimately, we will leverage the information gained from our research to develop precision medicine approaches for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of these diseases. The Seibold Laboratory is composed of a multi-disciplinary team of “wet lab” cell, airway, and molecular biologists integrated with “dry lab” computational biologists, bioinformaticians, and statistical geneticists.