Postdoctoral Fellow – MDA – TMP Dept. (Kadara)

Despite recent advances in immunotherapy, lung adenocarcinoma remains the leading cause of death in smokers. Despite the overwhelming public health burden of lung adenocarcinoma, there are very few, if any, strategies for early treatment of this disease -- largely due to a very poor understanding of molecular changes that drive its initiation and development. One of our laboratory's goals is to delineate early immune events in the transition of smoking-exposed normal airway to lung adenocarcinoma. Understanding these changes may pave for the development of new prevention (immune-based) strategies for lung cancer. Our lung cancer program is also actively investigating the role of the host microbiome in lung oncogenesis. We find that knockout of specific host defense and airway lineage genes perturb host microbiome homeostasis concomitant with lung tumor development. We are also eager to mechanistically understand novel cues between airway lineage factors, alveolar reprogramming, and microbiome homeostasis as well as understand the role of the host gut (and possibly the lung) microbiome in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Our lung cancer research program at the Department of Translational Molecular Pathology is looking for a postdoctoral fellow to embark on different vignettes in the microbiome and immune evolution of lung cancer including understanding the dynamic interplay between host defense (including immunomodulatory) responses, tumor-initiating inflammation and microbiome dysbiosis (local and systemic) in the development of the malignancy. The postdoctoral fellow will also work on understanding the role of lung epithelial reprogramming, in the context of inflammation, in early lung adenocarcinoma development. There will be opportune elements for the candidate postdoctoral fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center to collaborate with physician and physician-scientists to gain translational insights from laboratory-based findings. We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow whose motivation and ambition matches these exciting and timely projects. The postdoctoral fellow must have abundant experience in immunology, oncoimmunology, cancer biology, and molecular biology. Technically, the candidate postdoctoral fellow must have abundant/adequate experience in animal modeling and work, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry/cytochemistry, cell culture as well as basic molecular and cellular biology techniques. Experience in microbial (in vivo) research is a big plus. The candidate postdoctoral fellow is also required to display good to excellent communication skills in English (written and oral) as well as showcase a spirit for teamwork and collaborations with different members of the lung cancer research program.

Learning Objectives:
-Learn uncharted cues and pathways in the inception and development of lung adenocarcinoma (which will likely be applicable to other subtypes of lung cancer or other solid tumors).

-Learn individual roles of immune and epithelial cell subsets and functional states/phenotypes in the development of lung adenocarcinoma.

-Develop a skill for collaboration and translation of laboratory-based findings (e.g., development of markers for outcome and response).

-Acquire skills for progression in academia including but not limited to delivering presentations, writing manuscripts and applying for grants/fellowships.

Interested candidates should email CV and cover letter to: hkadara@mdanderson.org