Postdoctoral Associate — Lung Cancer Cell-of-Origin & Regenerative Biology, Yale Genetics and CMED

The Chioccioli Lab at Yale School of Medicine is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate to lead work on the cellular origins of KRAS-driven lung adenocarcinoma. The primary project investigates how injury-induced progenitor cells, a transient regenerative epithelial state that arises during lung repair, are co-opted by oncogenic KRAS to initiate lung cancer. The work combines inducible lineage-tracing mouse models, lung injury and tumor-initiation systems, single-nucleus multiome (RNA and ATAC) and spatial profiling, and validation in human early-stage lung adenocarcinoma specimens.

The position is supported by NIH funding and sits within a rich collaborative network at Yale, including the Yale Cancer Center, the Yale Stem Cell Center, the Wu Tsai Institute, and computational collaborators in single-cell genomics.

Responsibilities:

• Design and run lineage-tracing and tumor-initiation experiments in genetically engineered mouse models of lung injury and adenocarcinoma
• Generate and help analyze single-nucleus multiome and spatial datasets from mouse and human tissue
• Perform lung histology, multiplex immunofluorescence, and RNAscope, and quantify results
• Contribute to validation in human specimens using Yale SPORE lung cancer biobank material
• Publish first-author papers, present at meetings, and help mentor junior lab members

Required qualifications:

• PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in cell/molecular biology, cancer biology, developmental or stem cell biology, genetics, or a related field, completed or expected within 6 months
• Hands-on experience with mouse models
• Proficiency in histology, microscopy, and immunostaining
• Strong scientific writing and communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in lung biology, lineage tracing, and/or cancer models
• Experience with single-cell/single-nucleus genomics and spatial transcriptomics
• Computational analysis skills in R and/or PythonA record of first-author publication

More about the lab:

Yale University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.