Post Doctoral Fellow - Virology

Job Information

Job : 59155

Location: Columbia

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

The Wan Influenza Systems Biology Lab is seeking applications for a Post Doctoral Fellow in the area of Virology at the Influenza Systems Biology Laboratory. Our lab is affiliated with the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine;
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering; and Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, Wan Lab is affiliated with the Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CIEID), Bond Life Sciences Center, and Institute for Data Science and Informatics at MU.

The Wan Influenza Systems Biology Lab is physically located at the MU Bond Life Sciences Center. Our lab integrates clinical, experimental, computational, and translational approaches to study influenza and SARS-CoV-2, with the goals of improving vaccine and antiviral strategies, mitigating epidemic outbreaks, and enhancing pandemic preparedness. Our lab has access to a newly established large ABSL-2 animal facility for CIEID, designed to study influenza transmission and vaccine efficacy studies with controlled humidity and temperature settings.

We also utilize the BSL-3 and ABSL-3 facilities at the Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research (LIDR), a 32,403 sq. ft. Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, approved for work with select agents and toxins. MU also houses multiple core facilities, such as Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Charles W. Gehrke Proteomics Center, Metabolomics Center, Molecular Interaction Core, Cell & Immunobiology Core, DNA Core Facility, Informatics Research Core Facility, and Molecular Cytology Core.

These resources provide cutting-edge support for advanced imaging, proteomics, metabolomics, and computational modeling, fostering high-impact interdisciplinary research.

Responsibilities:

• The successful candidate will work on projects, which will be involved in one or more of the following areas:
  1) Viral Transmission:
  Investigating the molecular and biophysical mechanisms of virus aerosolization and airborne transmission. Developing animal models to characterize and predict viral spread in different environments.
• 2) Vaccine Effectiveness and Precision Health Approaches:
  Exploring the molecular mechanisms affecting vaccine performance and immune imprinting. Developing broadly protective vaccines to enhance vaccine immunity and prevent transmission.
• 3) Virus Surveillance and Pathogen Discovery:
  Identifying emerging and re-emerging viral threats at the animal-human interface through pathogen discovery, genomic surveillance, and epidemiological studies.

The candidate will be responsible for recording all methods, results, and other relevant information in an organized manner as instructed by the Principal Investigator. S/he will be expected to perform experiments, data analysis and manuscript preparation. The successful candidate should be highly motivated and is expected to work collaboratively within a diverse team.

We are committed to fostering professional growth through mentorship programs for postdoctoral scholars, collaborations with leading researchers at MU and beyond, and opportunities for grant writing and independent project development.

Shift: Regular hours, Monday-Friday with flexibility for weekend/evening hours as required for experiment needs

Minimum Qualifications: This position requires a Ph.D. degree in Virology, Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, or related degree.

Candidates will be evaluated on: Previous experience in a virology lab.

Please provide a cover letter, CV and contact information of three references.

The position posting will be open until filled.

Want to learn more directly from people that work at the Bond Life Sciences Center? Check out our latest video highlighting the important work and experiences of our team: https://mizzou.us/WorkatBondLSC

About Us:

The Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri is a dynamic hub where groundbreaking research meets real-world impact. Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, our state-of-the-art facility brings together experts in various fields—engineers, cancer biologists, plant scientists, and IT specialists—all working towards a common goal: to save lives, reduce costs, and enhance everyday life.

Our Mission:
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