Job Overview

As one of the oldest medical schools in the country, the UC College of Medicine has a strong reputation for training best-in-class health care professionals and advancing cutting-edge research that improves patient outcomes. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will assist the Principal Investigator in conducting and analyzing research, ensuring compliance with institutional research standards. This is a temporary research trainee appointment.

Applications are invited for a Post-Doctoral Fellow position in the laboratory of Dr. Rajat Madan at the University of Cincinnati. Our laboratory has a broad interest in the host and pathogenic determinants of disease severity after Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Current projects focus on:

• Examining the role of neutrophil heterogeneity and host genetics in CDI pathogenesis
• Determining the regulation of CDI severity by the pro-inflammatory cytokine, Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF)
• Investigating the effects of bile acid metabolites on CDI pathogenesis

This position offers training in mucosal immunology, microbiology, single-cell transcriptomics, and animal models of infection. Candidates will have the opportunity to work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment and are expected to function well both independently and as part of a team. They will also be encouraged to mentor junior trainees in the lab.

Essential Functions

• Conduct research experiments within the defined scope of the lab’s scientific focus.
• Analyze experimental and omics data, develop and test hypotheses.
• Prepare research findings for publication and presentation at scientific meetings.
• Participate/assist in manuscript writing for publication in scientific journals and/or presentation; may assist in grant writing.
• Keep informed of developments in field to maintain and enhance professional expertise.
• Lab maintenance, including equipment maintenance and ordering of supplies, as needed.
• May teach techniques to others, train, and mentor junior research staff.
• Engage in appropriate training and professional development opportunities. 
• Play an active role in seeking career and research advice, both from the faculty supervisor and from other faculty members as well. 
• Perform laboratory maintenance and help manage lab operations. Perform additional duties as needed by the department.

Minimum Requirements

Doctoral degree in immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, computational biology, or a related field.

Additional Qualifications Considered

• Demonstrated expertise in Clostridioides difficile infection models and/or neutrophil biology.
• Proficiency in analyzing large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing datasets.
• Experience with R programming and familiarity with relevant bioinformatics packages (e.g., Seurat, Bioconductor).
• Background in animal handling and in vivo models of infection is highly desirable.
• Experience in scientific manuscript and grant writing.
• Strong organizational, communication, and team collaboration skills.

Work Environment/Physical Requirements

The position involves both desk-based data analysis and laboratory bench work, including tissue culture and handling of biological specimens under BSL-2 conditions.