Postdoctoral Research Associate - Cell & Molecular Biology - Kosinski Lab

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital • Memphis, TN

1d • Onsite

About The Position

A postdoctoral research associate position is available with Dr. Jan Kosinski. The Kosinski lab studies how viruses and macromolecular machines work inside cells, combining cryo-electron tomography with AI-based and integrative structural modeling, crosslinking mass spectrometry, and cell biology. The lab opens at St. Jude in January 2027, relocating from EMBL Hamburg. Our main focus is mapping the influenza A virus infection cycle and developing methods for in-cell structural biology. This project will study influenza A virus infection inside cells using cryo-electron tomography. You will image infected human cells, identify viral and host complexes in their native context, and combine this with structural modeling and proteomics to build a spatially and temporally resolved picture of the infection cycle. The long-term goal is to understand how the virus remodels the cell and to identify host factors that could be targeted therapeutically.

Requirements

• PhD in structural biology, cell biology, virology, biochemistry, biophysics or a related field, awarded or expected before the start date.
• Experience with cryo-electron microscopy or cryo-electron tomography sample preparation and data collection
• Mammalian cell culture and the ability to work under BSL-2 containment
• Comfort with Linux and command-line pipelines, and with using AI coding assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT to write and adapt scripts for image processing
• A first-author publication record, good English, and a collaborative attitude

Nice To Haves

• Cryo-FIB milling and lamella preparation
• Subtomogram averaging and tomogram processing
• Virology, especially influenza
• Fluorescence microscopy, correlative light and electron microscopy

Responsibilities

• Prepare and image infected cells by cryo-electron tomography, including cell culture under BSL-2 containment, vitrification, cryo-FIB milling and tilt-series collection
• Process tomograms and characterise macromolecular complexes by subtomogram averaging
• Integrate the structural data with the lab’s interaction mapping, proteomics and computational modeling
• Design and run follow-up cell biology experiments to test mechanistic hypotheses
• Publish, present at international meetings, and mentor students and interns

Benefits

• Access to the St. Jude Cryo-EM/ET Center, with three Titan Krios microscopes, plasma-FIB and Aquilos instruments
• Access to our own BSL-2 cell culture suite and plunge freezer
• Access to extensive core facilities
• Access to a large computing cluster
• Support in writing your own fellowships
• Support in presenting your work internationally

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree