POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN TRANSLATIONAL MICROBIOME RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, INSTITUTE FOR GENOME SCIENCES, CENTER FOR ADVANCED MICROBIOME RESEARCH & INNOVATION

The research groups of Dr. Bing Ma at the Center for Advanced Microbiome Research & Innovation (CAMRI), Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS), Department of Microbiology and Immunology (MMI), and Dr. Jonathan Bromberg at the Department of Surgery and MMI, University of Maryland School of Medicine seek applicants for a postdoctoral scholar position. The fellow will be co-mentored by Drs. Ma and Bromberg and will work at the interface of microbiology, microbiome science, host-microbe interactions, immunology, and translational therapeutics .

Qualifications :

Qualified candidates will be enthusiastic, highly motivated, and interested in understanding how gut microorganisms influence host physiology and disease and in developing microbiome-based therapeutic strategies. The research will focus on 1) how chronic immunosuppressive therapies reshape the gut microbiome and microbial metabolic functions; 2) how specific microorganisms and microbiome-derived metabolites interact with host immune and tissue responses to influence transplant outcomes; and 3) discovery, mechanistic characterization, and preclinical development of beneficial microbes, probiotics, defined microbial consortia, and postbiotics to restore host-microbiome homeostasis and improve clinical outcomes . A major emphasis of the position will be experimental and mechanistic microbiology. We have a strong preference for microbiologists with experience in microbial cultivation and working knowledge in computational analysis of omics data or, equally, computational biologists/statisticians with a deep appreciation of microbiology, microbial physiology, and biological mechanisms. Projects may involve isolation and cultivation of anaerobic gut microorganisms, strain-level phenotyping, microbial physiology and metabolism, host-microbe interaction studies, manipulation of microbial communities, and functional evaluation of candidate probiotic strains and microbial metabolites in cellular and animal models. The fellow will have opportunities to translate discoveries from human cohorts into experimentally testable microbial interventions and to investigate their mechanisms of action. The program combines microbial cultivation, molecular microbiology, immunology, metabolomics, and animal models with genomic and multi-omics technologies. Depending on the project, approaches may include microbial genome sequencing, metagenomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, single-cell or spatial profiling, and computational analysis. These technologies will be used primarily to identify microbial functions, define mechanisms of probiotic or postbiotic activity, and guide development of microbiome-directed therapeutics . The ideal applicant is expected to: have experience with or a strong interest in anaerobic microbial cultivation, isolation and characterization of gut microorganisms, bacterial physiology, and experimental manipulation of microbial communities ; have a strong foundation in microbiology, microbial physiology, molecular biology, microbial ecology, or host-microbe interactions ; be interested in the development and functional characterization of probiotics, commensal microorganisms, microbial consortia, or microbiome-derived metabolites as therapeutic candidates; conduct mechanistic studies using microbial culture systems, molecular approaches, host-cell assays, and/or animal models; possess a working knowledge of genomic sciences, sequencing technologies, and microbiome and multi-omics analyses, including microbial genomics, metagenomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics; experience with computational analysis of such data is advantageous but not required as the primary area of expertise ( training in relevant analytical approaches will be available); lead research projects from experimental design and microbial cultivation through functional validation, data interpretation, presentation, and publication; work effectively both independently and within a multidisciplinary team spanning microbiology, immunology, transplantation, genomics, and translational research; and hold a doctoral degree in Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, or a related field. The successful candidate will join a highly interactive research environment with extensive expertise and infrastructure for microbiology, immunology, multi-omics, computational biology, and preclinical therapeutic development . The position provides a particular opportunity for a scientist interested in moving from fundamental microbial biology toward mechanism-based probiotic and microbiome therapeutics . Additional inquiries about the position can be sent to Drs. Bing Ma ( bma@som.umaryland.edu ) and Jonathan Bromberg ( jbromberg@som.umaryland.edu ). Interested applicants should submit a CV, a statement of research interests (2 pages maximum), and contact information for three references. Consideration of candidates will begin upon receipt of applications and will continue until the position is filled. The University of Maryland, Baltimore is an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation for a disability, for any part of the employment process, please contact us at HRJobs@umaryland.edu and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.