Postdoctoral Research Associate - Host Microbe Interactions (Kumar Lab)

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

11d•Onsite

About The Position

A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available in the Kumar Laboratory within the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Kumar Lab investigates how xenobiotics (medications, dietary compounds) and host immune factors remodel the gut microbiome to alter intestinal homeostasis. We integrate clinical and high-throughput omics datasets with mechanistic molecular microbiology, anaerobic culturomics, and gnotobiotic animal models to dissect how microbiome alterations govern susceptibility to infectious and non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Microbiology, or a related biomedical discipline is required.
Experience with working with bacterial communities/pathogens.
Experience with bacterial genetic manipulation.
Experience with animal models of infection.
Clear demonstration of a track record of research productivity and communication skills in terms of manuscripts published during graduate work is needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience in animal models of infection/immunity.
Experience in anaerobic bacteriology.
Experience in computational/microbiome data analysis (familiarity with R/python).

Responsibilities

Lead Research Projects: Design and execute mechanistic and translational studies investigating drug-microbiome-immune interactions.
Develop Scientific Independence: Prepare high-impact primary research manuscripts and develop competitive postdoctoral fellowship/training grant applications.
Innovate Methodologies: Establish and optimize cutting-edge experimental protocols across anaerobic bacteriology, bacterial genetics, and animal models of infection/immunity.
Mentorship & Collaboration: Mentor undergraduate and graduate rotation students and collaborate actively with investigators across the department and the broader St. Jude research community.
Institutional Engagement: Actively participate in departmental seminar series, multi-lab work-in-progress meetings, and institutional career development programs.