Assistant Scientist -Inflammatory Arthritis-Post Doc

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Dermatology

The Ward Laboratory in the Department of Dermatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is seeking a highly motivated Basic Scientist Assistant 1 to join our research team investigating the mechanisms underlying chronic inflammatory skin diseases and their associated comorbidities. The successful candidate will have primary responsibility for an NIH‑funded research program investigating mechanisms linking cutaneous inflammation with psoriatic arthritis and associated disease manifestations.

The scientist will design and conduct experiments, analyze and interpret data, develop and optimize experimental approaches, and contribute to scientific presentations, manuscripts, and grant‑related activities. The scientist will also contribute expertise to other laboratory projects, help develop new research directions and methodologies, and train and mentor junior personnel.

The Ward Laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive chronic inflammatory skin diseases and their associated comorbidities, with a current emphasis on psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), including associated inflammatory arthritis and musculoskeletal disease. Our translational research is informed by discoveries from human genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and other multi-omic approaches, which we use to identify disease-associated pathways and prioritize mechanisms for functional investigation in experimental models.

Increasingly, we integrate these approaches with EHR‑linked clinical and phenotypic data to better define disease mechanisms, heterogeneity, and associated comorbidities. Experimental mouse models, molecular and cellular biology, immunology, and histopathology are then used to interrogate these mechanisms and establish their functional and translational relevance.

• Design, perform, troubleshoot, analyze, and interpret experiments related primarily to an NIH‑funded research program investigating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
• Generate high‑quality, rigorous, accurate, and reproducible experimental data with meticulous attention to detail; critically evaluate results and recognize and investigate unexpected or inconsistent findings.
• Maintain detailed, accurate, and contemporaneous scientific records and written protocols sufficient to understand and reproduce the work, with clear provenance and traceability from primary/raw data through analysis and reported results.
• Maintain samples, reagents, experimental records, and research data in an organized and readily identifiable manner, including accurate labeling, sample tracking, file naming, and data organization.
• Develop, optimize, document, implement, and standardize experimental methods and procedures.
• Work with mouse models of inflammatory disease and perform relevant molecular, cellular, immunologic, biochemical, histologic, and tissue‑based assays.
• Analyze and present experimental data and contribute to figures, presentations, manuscripts, grant applications, and progress reports.
• Contribute…