Postdoctoral Research Opportunity in Molecular & Immunologic Characterization of Bovine Tuberculosis
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Animal Disease Center located in Ames, Iowa.
Under the guidance of a mentor, the selected participant will study the bovine immune response to Mycobacterium bovis infection with the overall goal of developing intervention strategies that will prevent or control tuberculosis in domestic livestock or other reservoir hosts. The participant will define the cellular and molecular immune mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of bovine tuberculosis by integrating cutting-edge molecular approaches with traditional cellular and molecular biological techniques.
The primary focus of the research will be to understand how the immune system of natural hosts regulates gene expression in response to Mycobacterium bovis infection or vaccination with experimental vaccines.
The appointment will include further training and application of immunologic techniques for analysis of responses of large animal hosts to infection with Mycobacterium bovis. Areas covered by the training may include cell culture, flow cytometry, immunologic assays, analysis of gene expression, sequencing techniques and/or computational biology analysis.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: April 1, 2020
The selected participant will need to be able to pass a security check in accordance with USDA policies.
This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
For more information about the ARS Research Participation Program, please visit the Program Website.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, with experience in cellular and molecular immunology.
Preferred skills:
- Familiarity with various techniques including cell culture, flow cytometry, ELISA, RNA-sequencing, and qRT-PCR
- Experience in computational biology and/or large data processing
- Demonstrated research experience related to tuberculosis, intracellular pathogens
- Background in livestock immunology
- Demonstrated proficiency in molecular biological and immunological techniques that have resulted in authorship in peer-reviewed publications
- Experience in assessing gene expression in response to Mycobacterium bovis infection or infection with other intracellular pathogens
If you have questions, send an email to USDA-ARS@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity (USDA-ARS-2020-0056) in your email.