Postdoctoral Associate - Immunotherapy of hematologic malignancies

Summary

A newly funded postdoctoral position is available in Dr. Luznik's lab in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine for highly motivated individuals interested in immunotherapy of hematologic malignancies. Central to this laboratory’s mission is an in-depth exploration of the basic mechanisms of immune response with a focus on direct clinical application.

The long-term goal for the Postdoctoral Associate position is to generate several high-impact manuscripts and competitively apply for extramural funding toward an independent research career. The position can be tailored for physician-scientists with an interest in immunotherapy of leukemias. All the research work is published in leading journals, and the lab is a part of a large and vibrant cancer immunology and immunotherapy research community at Baylor College of Medicine.

Baylor College of Medicine typically follows similar to the NIH stipulated stipend guidelines for Postdoctoral Associates.

Job Duties

• Designs and executes advanced immunological research experiments focused on understanding T-cell dysfunction and immune evasion mechanisms in hematologic malignancies, using both human samples and animal models.
• Applies high-dimensional data analysis techniques, including single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), multicolor flow cytometry, and systems biology approaches, to uncover novel immune cell states and therapeutic targets.
• Develops and optimizes experimental protocols for cellular immunology, including trajectory inference and dimensionality reduction methods such as tSNE and UMAP, tailored to translational immunotherapy applications.
• Analyzes and interprets complex datasets using bioinformatics tools (e.g., Seurat, Scanpy) and programming languages such as R or Python, contributing to mechanistic insights and clinical relevance.
• Establishes and refines research protocols that integrate molecular biology and computational pipelines to support reproducibility and scalability of immunological assays.
• Summarizes research findings in high-impact manuscripts and contributes to grant applications, with the goal of securing extramural funding and advancing toward an independent research career.
• Manages laboratory operations that includes oversight of data integrity, compliance with institutional protocols, and coordination of collaborative projects within Baylor’s cancer immunology community.
• Uses human samples and animal models, and utilizes systems biology to explore the mechanism of T-cell dysfunction and immune evasion in leukemia.
• Mentors junior research staff and trainees.
• Fosters a collaborative and intellectually rigorous environment that supports career development and scientific excellence.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• MD or Ph.D. in Basic Science, Health Science, or a related field.
• No experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in techniques of cellular immunology, multicolor flow cytometry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and advanced data analysis.
• Experience with single-cell transcriptomic analysis will be given high priority.
• Strong interests in both mechanistic and translational aspects of work.
• Ability to work independently and in a collaborative environment.
• Enthusiasm for science, effective communication skills, self-motivation, and a record of publication.
• Be a good team player is important.