Postdoctoral Associate

The Laboratories of Comparative Immunology & Virology for Companion Animals (LCIV-CA) in the Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine is seeking a highly motivated individual who has the knowledge and experience in molecular diagnostic techniques, molecular vaccine and immunotherapy, feline and canine veterinary procedures, and laboratory management to perform research related to viral pathogenesis, and vaccine and immune-therapeutic studies and preclinical trials. The incumbent is expected to actively participate in the conception, design, and execution of research, publish research results in peer-reviewed scientific or technical journals, provide guidance in the interpretation of the LCIV-CA diagnostic results to clinical veterinarians, present results at conferences, seminars and/or technical meetings, and assist in preparation of grant proposals for funding. This individual will also supervise graduate/professional/undergraduate students, manage the CVM Cat Breeding Program and animal studies, manage lab resources and equipment, and observe high health and safety standards. Additional duties may be set in light of research needs and priorities.

Employee is expected to be able to multi-task at a high level by performing genomics and proteomics research related to vaccine and immune-therapeutics of cats and dogs (50%), animal maintenance and testing (30%), while supporting all aspects of laboratory function (15%).

Research-related duties (50%) include:

•           Aseptic techniques
•           Performing nucleic acid extraction
•           Performing polymerase chain reaction, i.e. conventional and real-time
•           Nucleic acid sequencing, sequence analysis, and next generation sequencing
•           Perform whole-virus production and purification for immunoblots
•           Assist in developing viral antigen immunoblots for diagnostics and publication
•           Perform species-specific lipid nanoparticle development
•           Transcriptome analyses of vaccine and drug therapy in companion animals
•           B-cell immune analyses
•           T-cell immune analyses
•           Assist the PI in running the BSL-3 research and facility
•           Assist the PI in running one-medicine research with EPI
•           Designing, receiving, and cataloging peptides, sera/plasma, and plasmids
•           Liaise with outside labs to complete tasks
•           Designing and implementation of experiments and data analysis
•           Dissemination of research results (manuscript preparation, presentations at            conferences and scientific meetings)
•           Assist with grant proposals
•           Supervise OPS laboratory assistant(s)

Veterinary animal duties (35%) include:
•           Bleed laboratory cats, as well as client pet dogs and cats
•           Perform animal procedures on laboratory cats as described on IACUC protocol
•           Train OPS undergraduate student workers on animal procedures  
•           Assist in writing IACUC protocols and modifications
•           Supervise OPS animal workers
•           Perform immunoblot analyses on client animals
•           Report the result(s) to the clinical veterinarians

Lab management: (15%)

•           Train students (graduate, professional, and undergraduate)
•           Manage lab resources and equipment (ordering, equipment maintenance, etc)
•           Maintain safety protocols and standards
•           Write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Salary will be commensurate with the applicant’s qualifications and experience.

•           A Ph.D. and/or D.V.M. from a recognized institution

•           At least 1 year of experience in viral genomics or immunopathogenesis

•           Experience with viral culturing, viral titration, and other basic molecular techniques

•           Experience using companion animal models of infection

•           Ability to collect, compile, evaluate, and analyze data

•           Evidence of research productivity

•           Proficiency in command-line tools for bioinformatics, and experience in NGS data analysis including, quality control, epitope mapping, variant analysis and phylogenetic tree reconstruction

•           Evidence of attendance/presentations at scientific meetings

•           Proficient in verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment

•           Must handle laboratory animals (e.g., cats, dogs, etc.) and will be required to pass IACUC workshops and maintain active IACUC certifications.

•           Must be agreeable to work in BSL-3 facility

•           Ability to multi-task at a high level
•           Vision for research growth and collaboration aligned with LCIV-CA missions
•           Experience in genomics/transcriptomics/proteomics research
•           Experience in performing immunological assays for analyzing vaccine immunity and                  immunotherapeutic activity(s).
•           Experience with Quality Program Standards and Good Laboratory Practices
•           Ability to develop the research projects of the LCIV-CA as demonstrated through publication of peer-reviewed articles

All applicants must apply online through Careers at UF in order to be considered for the position. For full consideration, applications for job number 528981 must be submitted online. Please submit the following items:

• Cover letter describing your previous research, career interests, and your motivation to apply
• Professional CV
• Contact information for three references

Final candidates will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/ .

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.

The University of Florida is An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law. 

Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.