UC San Francisco seeks candidates whose experience, teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

An NIH funded postdoctoral position is available to study the cellular and humoral immunology of SARS-CoV-2 immunization and infection in early childhood in the laboratory of Mary Prahl, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, UCSF.

Prahl Lab Focus: The lab is focused on understanding of the unique immunologic state of early childhood and pregnancy on cellular and humoral immune responses to infection and vaccination including SARS-CoV-2, malaria, and RSV — using biospecimens collected from early childhood and pregnancy cohorts. Advanced immunologic techniques include evaluation of cellular and humoral responses through high dimensional flow cytometry, cell culture, proliferation assays, in vitro assays, multiplex Luminex assays, qPCR, ELISpot, and ELISA assays. 

Projects: The Prahl lab has robust clinical and translational collaborations. Our collaborative research group has established large sample banks of PBMC, cord blood, saliva, breast milk, and placental specimens in order to better understand the unique cellular and humoral immunologic responses of early childhood and pregnancy to SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations and infections, using techniques including spectral flow cytometry and functional antibody analysis. Our lab culture is highly collaborative and in addition to leading their own project, the postdoctoral fellow will have opportunities to contribute to other team projects in the lab and to develop and participate in external collaborations — as well as mentoring of students and junior lab members as part of career development. Additional professional development opportunities will be available through the many training programs offered at UCSF. Candidates interested in early childhood and pregnancy translational human immunology research are encouraged to apply.

Mentoring: Opportunities will be available to mentor undergraduate and professional students for projects.

Collaborations: The lab has collaborations with investigators across UCSF, Stanford University, Children’s Hospital Oakland, Gladstone Institute, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and Makerere University/IRDC Uganda.

Job Requirements:

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a PhD, MD/PhD, or MD degree and experience in immunology, microbiology, or infectious diseases. Experience with flow and/or mass cytometry or cell culture is strongly preferred. Biostatistical and high-dimensional data analysis skills are desirable, but not required. The candidate needs to be able to work independently and in a collaborative team — and should have excellent organizational and communication skills. Members of underrepresented minority groups and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply:

Interested individuals should send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names of three references (title, phone number and email) to Dr. Mary Prahl at PrahlLabHiring@gmail.com. The position will be open until filled. Earliest start date is November 2023.

The Department of Pediatrics is one of the largest and most complex departments in the School of Medicine. The department is comprised of 19 divisions employing over 400 faculty, 83 fellows, 84 residents, 31 Post Docs and non faculty academics and 170 staff. The Department has annual clinical income from inpatient and outpatient activities totaling over $90 million and annual extramural funding (contracts and grants) exceeding $40 million. The department ranks 17th in the nation among Pediatric departments for funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The Department’s clinical enterprise is based at the 183-bed UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, the 191-bed UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Mount Zion, Zuckerberg San Francisco General, and at a number of outreach clinics throughout Northern California, providing the Department with an unsurpassed opportunity to meet the needs of infants, children, and young adults throughout the Bay Area. In 2019, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals ranked in all 10 children’s specialties in U.S. News and World Report.