Postdoctoral Associate – Zhu Lab

Postdoctoral Positions Available

Postdoctoral positions are available in Dr. Jiang Zhu's laboratory for highly motivated candidates who are interested in vaccine development for viral pathogens such as HIV-1, HCV, Flu, SARS-CoV-1/2, MERS-CoV, Ebola/Marburg, RSV/hMPV, and ZIKV. Salary is in the range of $70,000 to $80,000 depending on prior experience and qualifications. Dr. Zhu holds a joint appointment in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology (ISCB) and the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research in La Jolla, CA (www.scripps.edu). Dr. Zhu's laboratory combines structure-based antigen design, protein nanoparticle engineering, animal immunization, single-cell technologies, and immunological assays to develop and evaluate next-generation vaccines. Multiple vaccine candidates are currently under clinical development with ongoing and planned phase-I human trials. Details of Dr. Zhu's laboratory, ongoing research projects, and recent publications can be found at www.jzhulab.org/

Dr. Zhu is also the co-founder of Uvax Bio LLC (www.uvaxbio.com), a vaccine biotechnology company that aims to address global health challenges with innovative vaccine solutions. An HIV-1 nanoparticle vaccine candidate developed by the Zhu lab is currently in the Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia (ANZCTR registration #: ACTRN12624000064505), which is sponsored by Uvax Bio. An NIH-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trial is under preparation and is expected to take place in early 2025.

Research projects will be focused on the development and validation of various microbial systems for expression of viral glycoproteins and nanoparticles, such as glycoengineered Escherichia coli, Pichia pastoris, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microbially produced glycoprotein antigens will be structurally and functionally characterized to facilitate vaccine development.

Successful candidates will have a recent Ph.D. in microbiology, glycobiology, bioengineering, and other related fields. Candidates with knowledge and experience in bacterial and yeast expression, upstream and downstream processes, microbial fermentation in shake flasks and bioreactors, and subsequent harvesting and analyses are especially encouraged to apply. Plasmid construction and strain/clone generation may be required for this position. Extensive working experience in yeast systems will be a plus.

Interested applicants should send the following materials, preferably as a single PDF file, by email to Dr. Jiang Zhu (jiang@scripps.edu):  

1. Cover letter indicating current and future research interests
2. Expected starting date
3. Curriculum vitae
4. Brief summary of previous research experience (2-3 pages)
5. Names and contact information for 3 references.