Postdoctoral ScientistAssistant Staff Scientist Zhao Lab
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Job Location:
Oklahoma City, OK - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
30+ days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Position Overview and Responsibilities
Areas of focus: Immunometabolism Tissue Inflammation and Cancer Development
The laboratory of Dr. Meng Zhao in the Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scientist or Assistant Staff Scientist to join a growing and dynamic research program focused on how T cell metabolic stress reshapes immune function and drives tissue inflammation and tumor development.
Our work integrates cellular immunology mitochondrial biology and genetically engineered mouse models to define how immune cellintrinsic metabolic remodeling licenses chronic inflammation and cancer progression. We are particularly interested in mechanistic pathways linking mitochondrial structure metabolic stress signaling interferon responses and microbiota-dependent tumorigenesis.
We welcome candidates who are driven to ask fundamental questions and who seek rigorous training in hypothesis-driven research with translational relevance to inflammatory disease and cancer.
Scientific Environment:
The Zhao laboratory emphasizes rigorous mechanistic experimentation combined with multi-omics integration to uncover disease-driving pathways. The fellow will have access to state-of-the-art resources including:
-Spectral and high-parameter flow cytometry
-Advanced confocal and high-resolution microscopy
-Genetically engineered mouse models
-Metabolomics and mitochondrial functional assays
-Bulk and single-cell RNA-seq
-Spatial transcriptomics platforms
-Collaborative microbiome and systems biology support
Mentorship and Career Development:
This position provides:
-Close and regular mentorship from the PI
-Opportunities to develop independent research questions
-Support for fellowship applications
-Experience in manuscript preparation and grant writing
-Opportunities to mentor trainees and develop leadership skills
OMRF has repeatedly been recognized as a Best Place to Work for Postdocs by The Scientist. The Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program houses one of only ten NIH-designated Autoimmune Centers of Excellence in the U.S. providing a highly collaborative and stimulating addition OMRFs Postdoctoral Training Committee and Postdoctoral Association provide structured professional development networking opportunities and career guidance.
Minimum Qualifications
Ph.D. in a biological science chemistry physics or other relevant area M.D. or equivalent (or expected to receive degree soon).
Strong analytical and conceptual skills.
Motivation to develop scientific independence.
Excellent experimental and communication skills.
Must be detail-oriented organized and able to work independently as well as part of a team.
Ability to communicate and write summaries of result.
Professionalism while interacting with a diverse group of people personalities and cultures.
Preferred Qualifications
Prior experience in cancer mouse models histology and microbiota is beneficial but not required.
Demonstrated productivity with peer-reviewed publications.
Selected Publications
Zhao M*# Quintana A* Zhang C* Andreyev AY* Kiosses W Kuwana T Murphy A Hogan PG# Kronenberg M#. Calcium signals regulate the functional differentiation of thymic iNKT cells. EMBO J. 2021 Aug 16;40(16):e107901 PMID: (* co-first authors # co-corresponding authors)
Zhao M* Svensson M* Venken K Sethi A Engel I Day JD Elewaut D Bottini N Kronenberg M. Altered thymic differentiation and modulation of arthritis by invariant NKT cells expressing mutant ZAP70. Nat. Communications. 2018 Jul 6. 9:262 (* co-first author) PMCID: PMC6035278
Chandra S* Zhao M* Budelsky A de Mingo Pulido A Day J Fu Z Siegel L Smith D Kronenberg M. A new mouse strain for the analysis of invariant NKT cell function. Nat Immunology. 2015 Aug;16(8):799-800. (* co-first author) PMCID: PMC4711267
Required Experience:
Staff IC
Key Skills
- Laboratory Experience
- Bioinformatics
- Biochemistry
- Utility Locating
- Assays
- Research Experience
- Next Generation Sequencing
- Sensors
- Signal Processing
- Matlab
- Research & Development
- Molecular Biology
About Company
OMRF was founded in 1946s and is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected nonprofit biomedical research institutes. OMRF is an independent, not-for-profit biomedical research institute adjacent to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) campus in Oklahoma City. ... View more
