Job Description
A postdoctoral fellowship is available to study the role of pericytes to promote pre-metastatic niche formation and metastatic progression in the laboratory of Meera Murgai, Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland.
The postdoctoral fellow will focus on interrogating pericyte heterogeneity and plasticity in the metastatic microenvironment, following up on work published in our Nature Medicine 2017 article. The post-doctoral fellow will be trained in techniques related to cancer biology, vascular biology and computational analysis of gene expression, epigenetic, and microscopy datasets to further our understanding of the metastatic microenvironment in experimental models and patient data.
Qualifications and Job Details
Required and Preferred Skills
Ph.D. with less than 1 year post-graduate experience in cancer biology, vascular biology, or related field is required. Alternatively, a Ph.D. in computational biology with a background/interest in cancer biology and methods related to metastasis will be considered. Cross-training between bench science and computational science will be available.
About the NCI Center for Cancer Research
The Center for Cancer Research (CCR) is home to nearly 250 basic and clinical research groups located on two campuses just outside of Washington, D.C. CCR is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and makes up the largest component of the research effort at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Centrally supported by long-term funding and a culture of complete intellectual freedom, CCR scientists are able to pursue the most important and challenging problems in cancer research. We collaborate with academic and commercial partners and advocacy groups across the world in efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and HIV/AIDS. The CCR research portfolio covers the full spectrum of biological and biomedical research. Our work ranges from basic to translational and clinical, and our clinical trials are conducted in the NIH Clinical Center, the world’s largest hospital dedicated to clinical research that offers a robust infrastructure to support CCR’s patients on an estimated 250 open studies. The success of CCR is grounded in an exceptionally strong discovery research program that provides the foundation for the seamless translation of insights from bench to bedside. Read more about CCR, the benefits of working at CCR and hear from our staff on their CCR experiences.
Bethesda
Bethesda is one of the most highly educated communities in the United States and has a nationally renowned school system. The city is a thriving suburban center close to Washington, D.C., and home to many restaurants, retailers and a flourishing arts and entertainment district.
Candidates should send a cover letter, current CV, and names of three references to: Meera Murgai, meera.murgai@nih.gov. Successful candidates will be hired through the Cancer Research Training Award mechanism at the NIH (https://www.cancer.gov/grants-training/training/at-nci/crta), which offers a competitive salary and generous benefits package. This position is subject to a background investigation.