Postdoctoral Fellow – Next-Gen 3D Bio-Interfaces: Mapping the Cross-Talk between TME and Peripheral Immunity

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

3d • $103,079 - $123,694

About The Position

In this exciting Postdoctoral Fellow position, you’ll research and develop next-generation experimental tools for dissecting the mechanisms of action for immuno-oncology drugs using multi-organ 3D ex vivo culture systems.
This project is supported by the ENABL group that works across all of AstraZeneca’s therapy areas from early-stage drug discovery to late-stage clinical development. Our vision is to apply integrated predictive models into the drug development pipeline and investment decision process to increase confidence in selections and improve PoS.
This project will conduct pioneering research to better understand immune checkpoints and their modulators using patient-derived samples and cutting-edge technologies, such as single cell RNA sequencing and CODEX multiplexed tissue imaging. Our Postdoc will collaborate with experienced AZ interdisciplinary scientists with diverse set backgrounds, and exceptional academic mentor specifically aligned to the project, to develop next-generation multi-organ 3D ex vivo models able to elucidate the mechanism of actions of new drugs, identify patient populations that can benefit for the drug, and build predictive models to fill the gap between preclinical and clinical translation.
The Postdoc role will report to Jeremy Ratiu, Senior Scientist, and co-mentored by Jun Ren, Senior Scientist at AstraZeneca. Additionally, you'll also receive academic mentorship and guidance from John Hickey, Professor at the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Integrated Immunobiology at Duke University during the 3-year program.
Our Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct ground-breaking research using cutting edge 3D ex vivo culture models to study tumor immunology. You will develop laboratory methods to assess peripheral immune cell activation, recruitment to the tumor microenvironment, and subsequent anti-tumor immune responses. This will involve multi-organ-on-a-chip technologies, spatial proteomics/ transcriptomics, and advanced imaging techniques.

Requirements

• Candidates must be within four years of receiving their doctoral degree (PhD or DVM), with the PhD already awarded; or
• Candidates who are nearing completion of their doctoral degree are eligible, provided the PhD is conferred within six months of joining AstraZeneca.
• Strong knowledge and experience in immunology including design and execution of common immunological assays (e.g., ELISA, flow cytometry, cell culture, etc).
• Extensive knowledge in lymph node, tumor, OR vascular biology
• Extensive knowledge and experience working with tissue specimens (experience working with human tissues is a plus).
• 0-4 years of working experience

Nice To Haves

• Advanced imaging techniques and image analysis
• Experience working with ex vivo culture systems with vascular, lymph node, or tumor models highly desirable
• Experience preparing samples for scRNA-seq and/or spatial OMICs and basic or advanced knowledge of analyzing these data.

Responsibilities

• Research, design and implement innovative 3D ex vivo culture models to study the role of immune-modulatory compounds in shaping peripheral immune responses against tumors.
• Lead and drive the project under the supervision of cross-functional AstraZeneca team and in collaboration with the academic expert.
• Plan, write, publish, and present high-quality scientific papers.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees