Post-Doc Research Associate
About The Position
The Dittmer Group at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate to join our team and contribute to an innovative project on the human virome. This NIH -funded research focuses on the large-scale propagation, purification, and sequencing of a wide variety of human viruses, with the goal of developing a high-resolution atlas of the circulating virome. The successful candidate will take a leading role in growing multiple human viral species under controlled conditions, followed by the implementation of advanced purification protocols. These viral preparations will then be subjected to long-read sequencing and molecular quantification. A central aim of the project is to achieve sub-genomic sensitivity targeting detection thresholds below one genome copy per milliliter and to establish a robust, single-virion detection pipeline. This will allow us to quantify how many intact virions are truly represented in a given next-generation sequencing ( NGS ) dataset, thereby improving the interpretability and diagnostic value of metagenomic sequencing in clinical and research contexts. Our group operates in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment that integrates virology, molecular biology, and computational analysis. The ideal candidate will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies such as PacBio HiFi sequencing, bioinformatics pipelines for viral genome assembly, and high-throughput diagnostic workflows. This project is particularly suited to candidates interested in the intersection of quantitative virology and genomics and offers a chance to work at the forefront of virus discovery and surveillance. For an example of our approach and recent results, please see our recent publication: J Virol. 2025 Apr 16:e0195024. The salary is commensurate with experience according to NIH scale.
Nice To Haves
- Graduate-level coursework in biological sciences
- Quantitative biological and chemical expertise
- Scientific method and experimental design/interpretation
Responsibilities
- Growing multiple human viral species under controlled conditions
- Implementation of advanced purification protocols
- Subjecting viral preparations to long-read sequencing and molecular quantification
- Achieving sub-genomic sensitivity targeting detection thresholds below one genome copy per milliliter
- Establishing a robust, single-virion detection pipeline
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
Number of Employees
11-50 employees
