Postdoctoral Position: Transplant Immunology & Immunoregulation

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

A Postdoctoral position is available for a determined, people-smart, and driven basic scientist to join the laboratory of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The VCA Lab is a multi-disciplinary research laboratory standing on the pillars of transplant immunology and immunoregulation, regenerative medicine, tissue cryopreservation, and nerve research. In this very dynamic and innovative environment, fellows benefit from the outstanding scientific community and cutting-edge resources uniquely available at Johns Hopkins University as well as the progressive mindset of collaboration with industry – it is an incredibly nurturing environment for career growth that provides great opportunities for future employment.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will contribute to the transplant immunology and immunoregulation area of investigation. Under the guidance of Dr. Giorgio Raimondi (Associate Scientific Director of the VCA Lab), this section of the laboratory is devoted to pushing the boundaries of transplant research by improving our understanding of the complex mechanisms of immune-mediated transplant rejection as well as devising novel strategies to promote immune tolerance. We are seeking an outstanding Candidate to lead two newly-funded projects. The first builds on the revolution in cancer immunotherapy by the use of chimeric antigen receptor CAR-T cells and will investigate the requisites for development of an effective anti-rejection therapy based on CAR regulatory T cells (CAR-Treg). The second multi-disciplinary project aims at developing an innovating biomaterial-based drug delivery system for the promotion of transplant tolerance via localized immune-modulation tailored to the intensity of rejection. Inter-relation of these projects will bring exciting opportunities for novel understanding of transplant rejection. Both projects will also benefit from our unique micro-surgical expertise, enabling rapid progression from basic rodent models to translational large animal studies.

Our ideal candidate is a junior postdoctoral fellow with the following characteristics:

• A PhD in Immunology, or related discipline with a strong background in immunology.
• A true Team Player: humble, hungry for knowledge, and people smart.
• Proficient in isolation of rodent cells and sterile tissue culture techniques of primary cells.
• Experienced in flow cytometry and other techniques like immunofluorescence microscopy, transcriptomic analysis, PCR, Western blotting, ELISA (and multiplex), etc.
• Excellent communicator, able to speak fluent English with great writing abilities.

Interested candidates should email: 1) a brief statement of their research experience and how it relates to this position, 2) their CV, and 3) the contact information of at least three references to: g.raimondi@jhmi.edu.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.