Postdoctoral Fellow - Lung Autoimmunity and Biomarkers Lab

Postdoctoral Fellow - Lung Autoimmunity and Biomarkers Lab

Regular/Temporary

Temporary

Location

HSC
- Central Campus

Open Date

2026/09/30

Job Type

Limited Term (>12 months)

Close Date

2026/10/29

Employee Group

Favorite Job

Department

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Job Code

000913

Existing Vacancy

Yes
- Newly Created Position

Contract Duration

24.4 Months

Target Number of Openings

1

Schedule 35 hours per week, Monday
- Friday (occasional evening or weekend work may be required)

Education Level PhD or MD/PhD

Location St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Charlton Campus

Salary Commensurate with experience ($50,000 - $65,000 annually)

Duration 2 years, extendable

Existing Vacancy? Yes, new position

The Lung Autoimmunity and Biomarkers Lab at Firestone Institute of Respiratory Health, McMaster University is a diverse, fast-paced group studying mechanisms of lung autoimmunity in chronic lung diseases. We work on human-derived samples from well-characterised patients, and our trainees at Firestone Institute for respiratory Health publish first-author papers and go on to strong careers in academia, medicine and industry.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow to lead a discovery project on autoimmunity in the lung with a focus on B cells. This is a mechanistic, hypothesis-driven role, not a study coordination job.

The questions you would work on:

Why does autoimmunity develop in the airway in the first place?

Why does it often stay local to the lung instead of becoming systemic?

How does it drive disease progression: remodelling, mucus plugging, exacerbations and loss of lung function?

You would answer these using high-dimensional flow cytometry and single-cell approaches on patient samples, and translate what you find into biomarkers.

• Design and run your own experiments with patient-derived samples, and create in vitro models.
• Build and run multi-parameter and spectral flow cytometry panels, including sorting.
• Analyse cytometry data using FlowSOM, UMAP and similar clustering methods.
• Run single-cell and bulk RNA-seq experiments end to end, and integrate them with clinical data.
• Do your own analysis in R, with reproducible code.
• Write first-author papers, present at meetings, and apply for your own fellowships.
• Mentor students and work with clinicians, imaging scientists and bioinformaticians.

• PhD or MD/PhD
• Primary training in immunology, cell or molecular biology, bioinformatics, or a related field.
• Hands-on flow cytometry (spectral) expertise, including panel design and titration.
• Experience with high-dimensional cytometry analysis (FlowSOM, UMAP or equivalent).
• Experience with single-cell and/or bulk RNA-seq.
• Working proficiency in R
• First-author publications in high-impact journal
• Able to work independently, and generously with a team.

• Experience with primary human samples, especially airway specimens.
• B cell, plasma cell or autoantibody biology.
• Imaging, multiplex immunoassays, or capillary Western (Jess).
• Spatial transcriptomics, BCR repertoire analysis, or machine learning.
• Python, Git, or high-performance computing.

A real mechanistic project, with the patient cohorts and samples and funding already in place.

Access to spectral flow cytometry, cell sorting, single-cell genomics and imaging facilities.

An international, collegial team with active collaborations.

Mentorship towards independence: fellowships, papers, and career development.

Fully in-person eph's Healthcare Hamilton (Charlton Campus).

Monday to Friday; occasional evening or weekend work may be required.

No formal supervisory responsibility, but day-to-day mentoring of students is expected.

Help with extramural grant applications

The starting salary will not be less than $50,000.

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the "Dish With One Spoon" wampum agreement.

The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.

The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the…