Post-Doc Research Associate

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education and research.

Patient care: We promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.

Education: We prepare tomorrow`s healthcare professionals and biomedical researchers from all backgrounds by facilitating learning within innovative and integrated curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education to ensure a highly skilled workforce.

Research: We develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers and resources. We provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our university to support outstanding research. We foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic and population research.

The laboratories of Timothy Moran, Johanna Smeekens, and Julia Rager are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a multidisciplinary team investigating how the early-life home environment influences the development of food allergy. Using house dust collected from homes in the SUNBEAM birth cohort, the team will characterize food allergens, microbial communities, and immunostimulatory exposures and evaluate their associations with food allergy outcomes in early childhood. The project is supported by an NIH R01 and offers training in the environmental determinants of allergic disease, with a multidisciplinary mentoring team spanning allergy, immunology, and environmental health.

The postdoc will lead day-to-day processing and exposure characterization of the dust samples, using and refining the team's established workflow, including hands-on laboratory processing and measurement. Responsibilities include sample processing and quality control, allergen and microbial assays, analysis of assay and sequencing data, preparing first-author and co-author manuscripts, and working with the UNC Microbiome Core, toxicology trainees, and data science/computational trainees. There is an opportunity to join mechanistic studies in preclinical mouse models of food allergy. This is an on-site, laboratory-based position.

The ideal candidate has a PhD or MD/PhD in environmental health sciences, exposure science, toxicology, molecular biology, epidemiology, or a related field, with hands-on experience in environmental sampling and characterization and laboratory assays. Experience with R or Python, microbiome or other omics analysis, and birth cohort data is desirable. The successful candidate will work closely with the Moran, Smeekens, and Rager laboratories and the UNC Microbiome Core, and should be comfortable working both independently and in a collaborative team. The position is anticipated to be funded for an initial two years, with continued appointment renewed based on performance and available funding.

Recent or anticipated PhD or MD/PhD in environmental health sciences, exposure science, toxicology, molecular biology, epidemiology, microbiology, immunology or a related field

* Hands-on experience with environmental sampling and characterization and with laboratory or analytical assays
* A record of scholarly publications
* Ability to work on-site in the laboratory on a regular schedule

* Proficiency in R or Python; microbiome or other omics data analysis
* Machine learning or multivariable modeling
* Experience with birth cohort or epidemiologic data
* Experience coordinating technical staff or trainees
* Interest in allergy, immunology, or children's health, and in preclinical mouse models of food allergy (no prior experience needed)
* Strong communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative, multi-laboratory team

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at (919) 962-9982 or send an email to opahr@unc.edu.

Please note: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.