Postdoctoral position on immune cell dysfunction in neurodegeneration

A postdoctoral position is available in Gaurav Chopra’s laboratory of Chemical and Cellular Immunology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, USA

Gaurav Chopra's laboratory at Purdue University has an opening for a postdoctoral position to work on immune cell dysfunction in neurodegeneration. Experience in working with animals, with passion and ability to solve problems independently is highly desired. Experience with immune cell biology (microglia or myeloid cells) is desired but is not essential. We have federal funding to support this position with immediate vacancy. 

Overview. Our lab develops tools to study glial cell function in vitro and in vivo to identify and characterize cell states in chronic inflammation using flow cytometry, proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, chemical approaches, imaging, and in vivo animal models. We are after one question: "How do glial cells become dysfunctional in chronic inflammation?" We are looking for people who are self-starters, passionate, and smart individuals with passion for immunology.

Research questions. Postdoctoral fellows in our lab will explore any aspect of glial cell biology to answer the above question based on their interest. We are actively working on neurodegeneration, traumatic brain injury-related neurodegeneration and cancer (solid tumors) as models for chronic inflammation. Our goal is to identify dysfunctional cell subtypes and immunomodulatory molecules (proteins, lipids, metabolites) produced by glial cells under such conditions with a current focus on microglia and peripherally suppressive macrophages. We love astrocytes too and welcome individuals who would like to work with us to answer specific astrocyte-dysfunction questions in chronic inflammation. Students working with mouse models with expertise in glial biology, immunology, neurodegeneration, and/or neuroinflammation are encouraged to apply. However, the experience in neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation doesn’t matter if you like to work in an environment that provides support, encouragement, and training for independent thinking to enhance your love for glia or immune cell biology. 

Research environment. Our lab offers an interdisciplinary environment with students and postdocs from immunology, microglial biology, synthetic chemistry, analytical chemistry, biological chemistry, and computational science to develop tools and probes to answer specific questions for immune cell biology. Purdue University offers an outstanding group of researchers and community in the fields of sciences, engineering, veterinary medicine, and comparative pathobiology. Our laboratory is a core member of several life science institutes on campus including Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue Institute for Immunology and NIH-funded Purdue Center for Cancer Research.

Our laboratory’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We pledge to actively work towards fostering a diverse and inclusive environment for all our members irrespective of their race, color, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or national origin. We celebrate and use our differences to better our science. Our goal is to provide our members with a safe space to thrive and pursue their scientific curiosities to their fullest potential. 

To apply, please send CV, brief description of research interests, and contact information of three referees to Gaurav Chopra ([email protected]).