Postdoctoral Research Opportunity – Mucosal Immunology and HIV

The Martinelli Lab in the Department of Medicine (Infectious Disease) at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine invites highly motivated and enthusiastic candidates with PhDs and MD/PhDs seeking advanced training to apply for a full-time postdoctoral position in Mucosal Immunology and HIV. Our team works on understanding viral-host interactions at the level of mucosal and lymphoid tissues with a particular focus on HIV and HIV co-infections. We leverage non-human primate models and ex vivo systems to dissect HIV pathogenesis and understand HIV transmission and persistence.

Our current projects are focused on testing novel strategies for HIV functional cure while understanding the mechanisms of HIV reservoir formation and maintenance. We employ advanced in vivo imagining techniques including immunoPET/CT as well as multicolor flow cytometry and sorting for single-cell analysis from tissues.

The successful candidate will have an opportunity to carry out high-impact basic and translational research in HIV and HIV co-infections and apply a range of advanced cellular, immunological, imaging, and molecular techniques.  Relevant literature:

• Samer S, et al. Blockade of TGF-β signaling reactivates HIV-1/SIV reservoirs and immune responses in vivo. (JCI Insight, 2022 Nov 8. PMID: 36125890)
• Frank I, et al. α4β7-blockade delays viral rebound in SHIV-SF162P3 infected macaques treated with anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies. (Science Translational Medicine, Aug 2021 PMDI 34408080)

Mentorship and environment:

The laboratory PI, Elena Martinelli, is an enthusiastic scientist with a long record of mentoring students and postdoctoral researchers.  The Martinelli laboratory is committed to a collaborative, inclusive, and diverse environment focused on high-impact research. We believe in open and honest communication as well as reciprocal trust and respect of individual values and beliefs. The PI has experience mentoring a diverse international team of individuals from different disciplines and backgrounds. Training plans and opportunities are tailored to individual needs and career plans. We foster independent thinking and training in grant and manuscript writing and provide guidance toward building a scientific career in academia or industry.

Required qualifications:

• Highly motivated and creative individual with a PhD degree in immunology, cell biology, or related disciplines;
• At least one first-author publication;
• Excellent written and communication skills;
• Able to work independently but also collaboratively as a team;
• Microscopy experience;
• Familiar with coding languages and analysis of large datasets.

Candidates with experience in ANY of the following areas are encouraged to apply:

• HIV research
• Mucosal and tissue/barrier immunity
• Gut organoids
• Confocal microscopy or ISH techniques (eg RNAscope)
• Bulk and scRNA-seq
• High-parameter flow cytometry and sorting
• Modern statistical approaches/bioinformatics

How to apply:

Send the following to Elena Martinelli, PhD, MPH at: elena.martinelli@northwestern.edu:

• Cover letter explaining why you are interested and well-suited for the position and a description of career goals;
• Curriculum vitae;
• Names of three references