Postdoctoral Research Associate - Host Microbe Interactions; Kumar Lab

A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available in the Kumar Laboratory within the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions e Children's Research Hospital. The Kumar Lab investigates how xenobiotics (medications, dietary compounds) and host immune factors remodel the gut microbiome to alter intestinal homeostasis. We integrate clinical and high-throughput omics datasets with mechanistic molecular microbiology, anaerobic culturomics, and gnotobiotic animal models to dissect how microbiome alterations govern susceptibility to infectious and non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases.

See our recent publication:
Kumar et al. Nature, 644, 506-515 (2025).

• Lead Research Projects:
  Design and execute mechanistic and translational studies investigating drug-microbiome-immune interactions.
• Develop Scientific Independence:
  Prepare high-impact primary research manuscripts and develop competitive postdoctoral fellowship/training grant applications.
• Innovate Methodologies:
  Establish and optimize cutting-edge experimental protocols across anaerobic bacteriology, bacterial genetics, and animal models of infection/immunity.
• Mentorship &
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Mentor undergraduate and graduate rotation students and collaborate actively with investigators across the department and the broader St. Jude research community.
• Institutional Engagement:
  Actively participate in departmental seminar series, multi-lab work-in-progress meetings, and institutional career development programs.

• Ph.D. in Microbiology, or a related biomedical discipline is required.

• Required skills include experience with working with bacterial communities/pathogens as well as experience with bacterial genetic manipulation and animal models of infection.
• Clear demonstration of a track record of research productivity and communication skills in terms of manuscripts published during graduate work is needed.
• The preferred candidate will have experience in animal models of infection/immunity, anaerobic bacteriology, or computational/microbiome data analysis (familiarity with R/python).

• Mentorship & Training Environment:
  Joining a newly launching laboratory offers a dedicated, high-engagement training environment:
  Close, regular guidance in experimental design, high-impact manuscript preparation, grant writing, and personalized career strategy. High intellectual freedom to lead foundational, visible projects with clear paths to first-author publications. Hands-on experience in establishing new models, protocols, and mentoring junior trainees – ideal preparation for independent academic faculty or industry careers.

• Dissecting drug-microbiome-pathogen interactions and microbial xenobiotic metabolism.
• Genetic manipulation and functional genomics (e.g., transposon mutagenesis) of commensal and enteric pathogens.
• Anaerobic microbiology, culturomics, and synthetic community reconstruction.
• High-throughput sequencing and microbiome data analysis.
• Gnotobiotic, germ-free, and conventional mouse models of enteric challenge and mucosal inflammation.
• Intestinal organoid cultures and mucosal barrier assays.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a world-class research institution dedicated to pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases of childhood. The first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Our 300 faculty work across the spectrum of basic, translational, clinical, and population science in a highly collaborative multidisciplinary environment that includes a Nobel laureate and members of the National Academy of Science…