Opportunities

Position # Postdoctoral Associate

Position Details

School / Department: School of Medicine / Surgery

Classification: Postdoctoral Associate

Funding source: NIH Grant

Description: We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated, hard-working post-doctoral research associate in the laboratories of Dr. Melanie J. Scott and Dr. Macky Neal. We are looking for a highly self-motivated individual who is also team-oriented and possesses excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Our labs are part of the research group in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The successful applicant will be responsible for projects associated with several NIH-funded studies investigating mechanisms of innate immunity in models of trauma, sepsis and acute lung injury associated with sickle cell disease. The primary focus of the work is on mechanisms of activation of inflammasome pathways and signaling, with a particular focus on platelet inflammatory responses, mechanisms of liver and lung damage, hypoxia/reoxygenation injury, and thrombosis and coagulation. Both the Neal and Scott labs use the latest available research tools to answer basic and translational science questions, and we have many successful local, national and international collaborations. The successful applicant will be encouraged to interact and continue collaborations with internationally respected scientists and medical professionals. Please submit your CV, a cover letter stating how our program complements your research interests and experience, and the contact details of three references to Melanie Scott — scottm@upmc.edu. Applications should include the following: 1) Cover Letter 2) Current Curriculum Vitae 3) Statement of research interests (1-2 pages max)

Qualifications:

  • PhD and/or MD in molecular biology, cell biology, immunology or related field.
  • Ability to work collaboratively and be interested in working with individuals from many different backgrounds including clinicians and basic scientists.
  • Fluent spoken and written English skills.
  • Candidates should have experience with small animal research, in vitro cell culture (preferably using primary cells) and extensive knowledge of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry techniques.

Please submit your CV, a cover letter stating how our program complements your research interests and experience, and the contact details of three references to Melanie Scott — scottm@upmc.edu. Applications should include the following: 1) Cover Letter 2) Current Curriculum Vitae 3) Statement of research interests (1-2 pages max)

See also: http://www.surgery.pitt.edu/research/labs/general-surgery-and-vascular-labs

Contact Information

Email address: ttmrc@upmc.edu

Pittsburgh Trauma Research Center: Virtual Internship

Research Internships at Pittsburgh Trauma Research Center (PTRC) provide a dynamic environment for research careers with a network of world-class research labs led by globally recognized scientists in the field of Traumatic Injury. Our researchers pursue innovation in a range of scientific and technical disciplines to solve complex challenges in Traumatic Injury.

Human genome sequencing and the advent of big data heralds a new era of precision healthcare, where medicine is tailored to individuals, reducing cost, suffering, and missed treatment opportunities. Bioinformatics and machine learning are well poised to play a key role in this transformation by discerning knowledge from data and separating signal from noise. The setting for this internship is the exponential increase in available genotypic and phenotypic data and its implications on the future of medicine. We are specifically looking for research interns with expertise in computer sciences, to analyze multiomic data sets (exploiting both genotypic and phenotypic data) to estimate severity of disease from features, or to model common disease trajectories. We are seeking self-motivated individuals who want to be involved at every stage in the process, from problem formulation to data exploration to model development to analysis and presentation.

Responsibilities

Interns put inquiry and theory into practice. Alongside fellow doctoral, postdoctoral candidates and some of the world’s best researchers, interns learn, collaborate, and network for life. Interns not only advance their own careers, but they also contribute to exciting research carried out at PTRC. During the 10-12-week internship, students are paired with mentors and expected to collaborate with other interns and researchers, present findings, and contribute to the vibrant life of the research community at the University of Pittsburgh. Research internships are offered year-round, though they typically begin in the summer.

An ideal candidate would have taken advanced courses in Mathematics and Statistics, experience working with large genomic datasets and be sufficiently well versed in data science and related computational tools to build models from such data would be a plus but is not required.

Required Qualifications

Must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Genetics, Genomics, Bioengineering, Biology, Computer Science, or a related field.

Participation in the Research Internship Program requires that you are physically located in the United States for the duration of the internship

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with genomic data preferably with demonstrated competence in R and various command line tools for genomics.

Experience working with genomic association studies

Experience with data science

Experience with programming (ideally Python)