Postdoctoral positions are available at the School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

July 27, 2023
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Scholarship: Fully funded
Degree: Ph.D
Nationality: International Students
Location: USA
Application deadlines: Open

Scholarship Description:

We are seeking a highly motivated PostDoc to join the O’Doherty lab. 

Our lab studies HIV persistence, by asking questions about whatunderlying mechanisms drive the HIV reservoir to contract and expand. In other words, why do some HIV-infected cells die while others divide? We probe mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon by studying changes in HIV proviral sequences over time in T cells and their subsets. Then perform in vitro experiments to test our hypotheses by using a barcoded virus that enables us to track the fate of individual proviruses in greater depth. 

 While prior work suggests that the majority of the reservoir resides in the antigen-experienced memory CD4+ T cells our work suggests that the antigen-inexperienced naive T cells are the real reservoir in disguise. Our findings suggest despite the small size of the naïve reservoir, it has an outsized impact on HIV persistence due to its inherent properties that make it an ideal reservoir.

 We recently became interested in the drivers of increasedhematopoiesis that is observed in Sickle Cell Disease. We aim to probe the role of inflammation and anemia on hematopoiesis in these individuals using ex vivo culture systems. This model allows us to study the effect of different modulators on inflammation. Ultimately, we hope this will improve care for individuals with Sickle Cell Disease.

 Available Subjects:

We offer a stimulating environment and are open to new ideas to explain phenomena related to these projects.

Eligibility criteria:

  1.  Ph.D. in virology, molecular biology, bioinformatics 
  2. Demonstrate passion to pursue the two research questionsdescribed above.
  3. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Application Procedure:

Please send the following materials to [email protected]

  • 1) Cover letter that describes why you want to join our team and the research questions you are interested in studying
  • 2) CV or Resume 
  • 3) A list of three references with complete contact information