Postdoctoral Fellow_Diet and Colorectal Cancer

The Yun Laboratory in the Department of Genetics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is seeking a creative, independent, and highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join our team and pursue research projects related to diet, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Our laboratory investigates how dietary exposures and nutritional states influence colorectal cancer development, progression, metastasis, and intestinal inflammation. We are especially interested in the mechanistic links among diet, tumor genetics, metabolism, the gut microbiome, inflammation, and the immune system. Current projects use mouse models, patient‑derived organoids, human biospecimens, microbiome and metabolomics approaches, genomic analyses, and large‑scale human datasets to define how dietary exposures shape intestinal disease biology.

Our lab is committed to pursuing rigorous, mechanistic, creative, and high‑impact research that can lead to strong publications and meaningful advances in cancer biology, prevention, and treatment. The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to work independently, develop creative research questions, lead research projects, design rigorous experiments, analyze and interpret data, apply computational and statistical skills when appropriate, and drive projects toward publication.

We are particularly interested in exceptional candidates who are driven, intellectually engaged, and committed to doing rigorous, high‑impact science. This position is not intended for candidates whose primary goal is only to perform assigned experiments, even if they are technically capable. Rather, we are looking for a postdoctoral fellow who can think creatively and independently, develop clear research questions, lead existing funded projects in the laboratory, design rigorous experiments, analyze and interpret data, apply computational and statistical skills when appropriate, and contribute intellectually to the direction of the project.

The candidate should also have a strong work ethic and be collaborative, collegial, flexible, and willing to contribute to a supportive and productive laboratory environment.

Applicants should submit a cover letter that clearly describes:

Interested and qualified candidates should apply through the MD Anderson website and may also contact Dr. Jihye Yun directly at jyun with a CV, cover letter, and a list of three references with email addresses.

The individual will learn not only experimental methods for studying the effects of diet on colon cancer development using mice, cell lines, and organoids, but more importantly how to execute and complete a research project in the most effective and efficient way. They will develop the ability to perform experiments and drive projects independently and productively.

Working closely with the PI and other lab members as a team, they will learn to write and submit manuscripts, write fellowship and grant applications, and publish high‑profile papers. Toward the end of their postdoctoral training, they will be ready to become independent investigators and faculty members.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in a relevant field, a strong record of high‑impact, first‑author publications, and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Research experience in immunology, the tumor microenvironment, or cancer metabolism is preferred. Applicants should be strong at the bench, and on top of that, basic computational skills (e.g., R or Python) to independently analyze omics data such as RNA‑seq, microbiome, and scRNA‑seq are preferred.

Offsite work arrangements are subject to approval and may be modified or revoked at any time based on business needs, performance considerations, or regulatory requirements.

This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.

It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.