Postdoctoral Fellow / Assistant Staff Scientist - Immunology
Department: Arthritis & Clinical Immunology - Zhao
The laboratory of Dr. Meng Zhao in the Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow/Assistant Staff Scientist to investigate the metabolic regulation of innate like T cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is an autoimmune disease that affects 1.3 million adults in the United States. Recently it has been shown that innate like T cells, including gamma delta T and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are the major IL-17 producer in the inflamed joints of spondyloarthritides (SpA) patients, underscoring the importance of these cells in inflammatory arthritis. Our study has demonstrated that iNKT cells, especially the IFNg secreting subset of iNKT cells, suppress arthritis development, and have great potential as a therapeutic target (Zhao et al. Nature Comm 2018). The postdoctoral fellow’s project is built upon these exciting discoveries, and focuses on understanding the mechanistic interaction between metabolic remodeling and immune functions during the development of autoimmune arthritis. The postdoctoral fellow will work with cutting edge resources including novel genetically modified mouse models, metabolomic analysis, and single cell transcriptomic analysis.
Founded in 1946, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected nonprofit biomedical research institutes. OMRF has made The Scientist magazine’s annual list of the “Best Places to Work for Postdocs” for many years. Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Program is the home base for one of only 10 Autoimmune Centers of Excellence (ACE) in the US. Apart from the close mentorship from Dr. Zhao, the postdoctoral fellow will benefit from departmental journal clubs, seminar series, and the expertise from diverse approaches in the program and the institute. Moreover, postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to apply for OMRF Postdoc Travel Awards to support their attendance at scientific meetings nationally and internationally.
OMRF is an independent, not-for-profit biomedical research institute adjacent to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) campus in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City offers a dynamic and flourishing downtown area, with low cost of living, short commute times and a diversified economy.
OMRF’s excellence can only be fully realized by individuals who share our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Successful candidates will demonstrate commitment to these values. OMRF is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic.
Minimum Qualifications
Applicants should have a Ph.D., M.D., or M.D./Ph.D. (or expect to receive a doctoral degree soon), possess excellent experimental and communication skills, and demonstrate solid training in immunology or mouse genetics with scientific publications.
Preferred Qualifications
Previous research experience in metabolism is a plus, but not required.
Please send the CV to Meng-Zhao@omrf.org
For more information on Dr. Zhao’s research view these publications below.
Chandra S*, Zhao M*, Budelsky A, de Mingo Pulido A, Day J, Fu Z, Siegel L, Smith D, Kronenberg M. A new mouse strain for the analysis of invariant NKT cell function. Nat Immunology. 2015 Aug;16(8):799-800. (* co-first author) PMCID: PMC4711267
Zhao M*, Svensson M*, Venken K, Sethi A, Engel I, Day JD, Elewaut D, Bottini N, Kronenberg M. Altered thymic differentiation and modulation of arthritis by invariant NKT cells expressing mutant ZAP70. Nat. Communications. 2018 Jul 6. 9:262 (* co-first author) PMCID: PMC6035278