Postdoctoral Research Fellow in DNA Repair & Drug Discovery

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in DNA Repair & Drug Discovery

The Position:  NIH-funded post-doctoral positions are available in the Vaziri and Pearce laboratories (https://med.sites.unc.edu/vazirilab/  and  https://pharmacy.unc.edu/news/directory/khpearce/) to define novel pathological DNA repair mechanisms by which cancer cells mutate their genomes and resist therapy (see Nature Communications 7, 12105; J Cell Biol 216, p3097). 

The projects are multidisciplinary and translational: molecular & cell biology, genetics, and biochemical & biophysical approaches will be used to determine how cancer cells reprogram DNA repair pathways in culture and in vivo.  Chemical probes and inhibitors will be developed in collaboration with The UNC Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (http://cicbdd.web.unc.edu/) and used to validate cancer-specific DNA repair pathways as tractable therapeutic targets.  The close partnership with CICBDD provides exciting and unique opportunities to learn industrial approaches (e.g. development of high throughput and high-content screening platforms) and will be particularly valuable for trainees considering long-term careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Qualifications:  The ideal candidates should have a Ph.D. with strong background in molecular and cell biology or related disciplines. Ability to collaborate within a multi-disciplinary team is a must.  Applicants should have good command of the English language and must have written and published peer-reviewed papers in reputable scientific journals.

To Apply:  Please upload curriculum vitae, cover letter stating research interests and career goals, and names and contact information for three references to  the UNC application website: http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/163889, further inquires may be made to Dr. Cyrus Vaziri: cyrus_vaziri@med.unc.edu

The Institution and Department:  UNC is a world-class research institution with state-of-the-art core facilities and provides an outstanding research training environment for life scientists.  The Vaziri lab is affiliated with the Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (https://www.med.unc.edu/pathology/), Biochemistry & Biophysics (https://www.med.unc.edu/biochem/), and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Research Center (https://unclineberger.org/research/).

Location:  Chapel Hill is an attractive, safe and diverse college town that ranks as one of the best places to live in the United States (https://www.unc.edu/life/about-the-city/).