Emory University is a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. We welcome candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of our academic community.

We seek highly motivated Postdocs to join the O’Doherty lab.

Our lab studies HIV persistence and what drives the HIV reservoir to contract and expand. In other words, why do some HIV infected cells die while others divide? We probe mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon by studying changes in HIV proviral sequences over time in T cells and their subsets. We then perform in vitro experiments to test our hypotheses using a barcoded virus that enables us to track the fate of individual proviruses in greater depth.

While prior work suggests that the majority of the reservoir resides in the antigen experienced memory CD4+ T cells our work suggests that the antigen inexperienced naive T cells are the real reservoir in disguise. Our findings suggest despite the small size of the naïve reservoir, it has an outsized impact on HIV persistence due to its inherent properties that make it an ideal reservoir.

We recently became interested in the drivers of increased hematopoiesis that is observed in Sickle Cell Disease. We aim to probe the role of inflammation and anemia on hematopoiesis in these individuals using an ex vivo culture systems. We can use this model to study the effect of different modulators on inflammation. Ultimately, we hope this will improve care for individuals with Sickle Cell Disease.

We offer a stimulating environment and are open to new ideas to explain phenomena related to these projects.

Positions are temporary appointments as a research trainee. The initial appointment is for one year, renewal expected if progress is satisfactory and funds are available. Appointments cannot exceed five years.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: A doctoral degree or equivalent (Ph.D., M.D., ScD., D.V.M., DDS etc) in an appropriate field. Excellent scientific writing ability and strong oral communication skills. The ability to work effectively and collegially with colleagues. Additional qualifications as specified by the Principal Investigator.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Ph.D. in virology, molecular biology, OR bioinformatics.

Applications should include 1) a cover letter that describes why they want to join our team and the research questions they are interested in studying 2) a CV or Resume, and 3) a list of three references with complete contact information

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