Postdoctoral Fellow – Experimental LUNG CANCER Biology, Immunology, AND Interception

The Humam Kadara Laboratory in the Department of Translational Molecular Pathology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is seeking talented and highly motivated postdoctoral fellows to investigate the cellular and ecological mechanisms governing the earliest stages of lung cancer development and to identify new strategies for cancer prevention and interception.

Our laboratory studies the evolution of lung adenocarcinoma from normal lung tissue through premalignancy and invasive cancer. Areas of particular interest include injury-induced epithelial plasticity; KRT8-positive alveolar intermediate and progenitor cells; oncogenic KRAS signaling; inflammatory and immune microenvironments; tumor-immune co-evolution; and the contribution of the host microbiome to lung cancer pathogenesis. The laboratory combines human tissues with genetically engineered and carcinogen-associated mouse models, lineage tracing, organoid systems, preclinical intervention studies, and state-of-the-art single-cell and spatial profiling technologies.

Representative publications include Sinjab et al., Cancer Discovery (2021);
Rahal et al., Cancer Immunology Research (2024), Han et al., Nature (2024); and Peng et al., Cancer Cell (2026). These studies have defined the spatial and cellular architecture of early lung adenocarcinoma, characterized immune-cell states associated with disease evolution, identified KRT8-positive alveolar intermediate cells as potential precursors of lung adenocarcinoma, and uncovered inflammatory epithelial–immune niches that may be targeted for early cancer interception.

The successful candidate will lead mechanistic studies examining how epithelial cell states, environmental or inflammatory injury, oncogenic signaling, and immune-cell niches interact to initiate and promote lung cancer. The fellow will also investigate how vulnerabilities arising during these early stages can be targeted through mechanism-based prevention and interception strategies.

Depending on the candidate’s experience and interests, research activities may include:

• Designing and conducting studies using genetically engineered, lineage-tracing, carcinogen-associated, and other human-relevant mouse models of lung cancer development.
• Establishing and manipulating primary-cell, organoid, and other ex vivo model systems.
• Performing molecular and cellular assays, flow cytometry, tissue processing, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, microscopy, and genetic or pharmacologic perturbation studies.
• Conducting preclinical intervention studies targeting oncogenic, inflammatory, immune, or epithelial-plasticity pathways.
• Interpreting single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, multiplex imaging, and related multimodal data.
• Working closely with computational scientists, pathologists, immunologists, pulmonary biologists, and clinical investigators to connect experimental findings with human lung tissues and high-dimensional molecular data.

The postdoctoral fellow will:

• Develop advanced expertise in experimental cancer biology, lung epithelial biology, tumor immunology, and cancer prevention and interception.
• Learn and master relevant in vivo, ex vivo, and molecular approaches for investigating lung cancer initiation and progression.
• Develop rigorous skills in experimental design, quantitative data analysis, interpretation, reproducibility, and translational validation.
• Gain experience integrating mechanistic experimental findings with single-cell, spatial, genomic, and immunogenomic data.
• Lead the preparation of manuscripts and scientific presentations and contribute to fellowship and grant applications.
• Develop skills in scientific writing, oral communication, mentoring, networking, career planning, and other areas important for an independent scientific career.

Applicants should have a Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in cancer biology, molecular or cellular biology, immunology, pulmonary biology, genetics, pathology, microbiology, or a closely related discipline.

Candidates should have:

• A strong foundation in molecular and cellular biology and a demonstrated commitment to mechanistic biomedical research.
• Hands-on experience with relevant experimental approaches, such as mouse models, animal procedures, mammalian cell culture, primary-cell or organoid systems, molecular biology, genetic manipulation, flow cytometry, microscopy, immunohistochemistry, or…