Postdoctoral Position in Immunology

The Laboratory

A postdoctoral position in immunology is available in the laboratory of Dr. Magdalena Gorska (http://www.njhealth.org/gorska-lab) at National Jewish Health (NJH) in Denver, Colorado. The lab studies maternal effects on the offspring immune system and predisposition to allergic diseases.

It is increasingly recognized that maternal environment and health status impact on fetal and neonatal immune systems, shaping offspring susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases. List of maternally-influenced diseases includes asthma. Epidemiological studies show that childhood asthma  positively associates with maternal stress and maternal exposure to air pollutants, and negatively, with maternal exposure to microorganisms present in the farming environment.  Mechanisms how maternal environment and health status affect the offspring immune system and predisposition to asthma are unclear. Dr. Gorska’s lab is focused on addressing these knowledge gaps.

The goals of the lab are to define maternal information that is gained and transmitted to offspring or lost and not transferred to offspring, elucidate routes of information transfer (placenta, breast milk, gametes), delineate offspring cells and pathways that are programmed by this information, and study how these cells and pathways contribute to the development of asthma. The lab has particular interest in cells and pathways of the immune system. The translational goals are to identify early-life biomarkers of predisposition to asthma in humans and define molecular targets for development of preventive drugs.

To accomplish these goals, the lab uses mouse models, human cord blood samples, blood samples from young children with asthma, and a variety of immunological, signaling and transcriptomics approaches.

The Institute

NJH is the leading respiratory hospital in the US and a premier academic center with renowned scientific expertise in immunology, allergy and pulmonary diseases. The institute is responsible for many seminal scientific advances including the discovery of IgE, characterization of the T cell receptor (TCR) and its interaction with MHC molecules, discovery of superantigens and the immunological synapse.  

Applicant Qualifications

MD or PhD, background in immunology, developmental biology, cell and molecular biology or related fields.

To Apply for This Position:

Email your CV, a brief summary of previous research experience and contact information for 3 references to Dr. Gorska at gorskam@njhealth.org.