Post-doc position available – microbiology and immunology

Position Summary:

A postdoctoral fellow position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Jason A. Carlyon in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Virginia Commonwealth University. The successful candidate will participate in NIH-funded projects studying the arthropod vector-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Projects include A. phagocytophilum interactions with the multivesicular body pathway, exosome biogenesis, and A. phagocytophilum-exosome/host cell interactions. Highly motivated, hard-working, and technically skilled applicants with relevant experience are welcomed to apply.

Core Responsibilities:

Maintenance of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infected cultures.

• Maintain uninfected and A. phagocytophilum infected myeloid, endothelial, and/or arthropod cell lines under sterile conditions on a bi-weekly basis

Assessment of A. phagocytophilum molecular pathogenesis.

• Involves purifying A. phagocytophilum bacteria from infected cells, performing infection assays under various conditions, and assessing infectivity in naïve cells.

Assessment of A. phagocytophilum exosome modulation.

• Purify exosomes from uninfected and A. phagocytophilum infected cells;
• analyze their protein, nucleotide, and lipid profiles;
• ssess their outcome on naïve cells;
• assess their ability to synergize to benefit A. phagocytophilum infection;
• mechanistically define their effects on eukaryotic cells.

Maintaining proper records.

• Diligently eep laboratory notebook of all experiments.

Writing manuscripts, grants, abstracts.

• Write and edit drafts of manuscripts for publication.
• Write/contribute data for extramural grant proposals.
• Write abstracts of research and present at scientific conferences.

Minimum Hiring Standards:

1. Experience in working with obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens,
2. Immunofluoresence microscopy,
3. confocal microscopy,
4. Western blot,
5. immunoprecipitation,
6. transfection,
7. siRNA,
8. electron microscopy,
9. Exosome purification

Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a Post-Doc at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in working with/cultivating Anaplasma phagocytophilum in eukaryotic tissue culture.
• Purification of A. phagocytophilum or other rickettsial agents from infected cells.
• Infection assays using A. phagocytophilum or other rickettsial bacterium.
• Analysis of exosomes from bacterial infected cells.
• Transfection, siRNA treatment of endothelial cells.
• Working knowledge of membrane trafficking pathways, specifically the endosomal-exosomal system.