Cancer Immunology Postdoctoral Fellow

We are seeking a highly enthusiastic postdoctoral fellow. The Dibra lab is highly collaborative, innovation-driven lab pushing the boundaries of tumor immunology. Our work spans the full arc, from cutting-edge genetic screens and spatial multi-omics to functional in vivo validation, all aimed at cracking the code of how tumors evade the immune system.

We leverage advanced in vivo genetic screening platforms, such as Perturb-map, with spatially resolved perturbations to map tumor–immune interactions at unprecedented resolution. Using single-cell and spatial transcriptomics (including Xenium), we decode cellular heterogeneity, immune niche architecture, and lineage states within the tumor microenvironment. A core focus is understanding how oncogenes actively hijack both innate and adaptive immunity — and how we can stop them.

We pair this with immunopeptidomics to uncover tumor-specific antigen presentation dynamics and identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities. Underpinning it all are our genetically engineered mouse models and patient-derived organoids, giving us an integrated bench-to-bedside platform, including novel alleles developed in the lab, spanning breast cancer and MASH-HCC to functionally interrogate tumor–immune regulatory circuits in vivo, ex vivo, and in a clinically relevant human context.

If you're excited about doing high-impact science at the intersection of cancer biology, immunology, and cutting-edge genomics — this is the lab for you.

Mentorship & Career Development:
The PI is committed to supporting the postdoctoral fellow’s career growth by fostering a collaborative and stimulating research environment, encouraging publication in leading journals, providing guidance on fellowship and grant applications, and offering funding to attend national conferences and expand professional networks. Additionally, in the last year of the fellows’ career, the mentor will support fellow to develop an independent project to jumpstart their career.

University of Louisville and the Brown Cancer Center have a strong commitment to immunotherapy as a tool to end cancer. Beside the lab, Louisville is a vibrant, welcoming city that surprises people in the best way possible. Incredible food, a thriving arts scene, bourbon culture, and neighborhoods with real character, at a cost of living that makes your postdoc salary go further than you'd expect.

When you need to unplug, the Ohio River waterfront has you covered: trails, kayaking, and open sky just minutes away. And with Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Nashville, and St. Louis all within three hours, you're never far from the next collaboration, conference, or adventure. Great science. Great city. Closer to everything than you think.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Plan and execute research experiments
• Analyze experimental data and update research notebooks
• Reading literature relevant to research and training objectives
• Preparation of manuscripts and written reports
• Oral presentations at group/local meetings, attendance at seminars
• Training students and technicians

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in cancer biology, immunology, or a related biomedical field.
• At least one first-authored publication in a peer-reviewed journal demonstrating independent research contribution.
• Demonstrated hands-on in vivo rodent experience including IP, IV, and oral gavage administration.
• Proficiency in viral vector systems (lentivirus, AAV8, Ad-Cre) for mechanistic in vitro and in vivo studies.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture, molecular cloning, and standard molecular biology techniques.
• Ability to work under BSL2+ containment with clinical samples.
• Strong scientific writing skills and demonstrated ability to think and work independently.
• This position requires…