Postdoctoral Fellow

Prospective candidates will develop human-based 3D muscle and neuromuscular junction tissues for use in disease modeling and as an assay platform for the discovery and development of new therapeutics for muscle diseases. Applicants with a background in biology, physiology, and pathology of muscle and muscle diseases, including experience with animal models and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into myoblasts, will receive preferential consideration.

The selected candidate will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of innovative scientists with expertise in bioengineering, 3D bioprinting, quantitative cell imaging, electrophysiology, histology, assay development, drug screening, data science and other cutting-edge “omics” technologies. Candidates with experience in the physiology and pathology of muscle diseases are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities of this position include:

• Working in a highly creative environment.
• Using 3-D bioprinting, high content imaging, stem cells and primary cell cultures.
• Establishing muscle assay platforms for drug and gene therapy testing using engineered tissues.
• Keeping and retaining accurate and complete records of all scientific experiments according to our established procedures.
• Drafting technical reports, writing manuscript and patent applications.
• Presenting work and finders to the broader scientific community.

Prospective applicants should possess a Ph.D. in cell biology, molecular biology, biomedical sciences, pharmacology, pathology, or a related discipline, with relevant experience in muscle biology, physiology and pathology. They should have a research background in the engineering of complex cellular assays to model muscle diseases.

Ideally, candidates will have excellent organizational skills and a strong attention to detail, as well as the ability to work independently. They should be willing to troubleshoot the production and validation of 3-D tissue models and the associated architectural, physiological, and multi-omics tests needed to develop the muscle-relevant assay readouts for drug screening we develop in our lab. Candidates should be experienced in techniques such as histology, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, RNAseq, RT-PCR. Candidates with additional experience with tissue culture of primary cells, iPSC-differentiation myoblasts, tissue engineering, and/or bioprinting techniques will receive preferential consideration.

The ideal candidate will also possess strong oral and written communication skills with a proven publication record in peer-reviewed journals. They will be a team player with high scientific standards, and able to work in an interactive, fast-paced environment, and thus will need to be self-motivated.

This position is not eligible for full-time remote work. NIH does not permit trainees to telework from overseas locations. For the most current eligibility criteria please visit here. Annual stipends are commensurate with experience per the NIH Postdoctoral Intramural Research Training Award and Visiting Fellow scale. Medical insurance coverage will be provided. The fellow also may participate in Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences courses at NIH. This position is renewable for up to five years.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply. NIH welcomes foreign nationals with the exception of individuals from this list.