Postdoctoral Researcher- TRACES Wastewater Surveillance Lab

SHIFT:

Day (United States of America)

A Brief Overview 

Assume responsibility for an on-going, innovative research project as a Postdoctoral Fellow at CHOP. Our postdoc experience will broaden your skillset, scientific background, and research capabilities.  

 

CHOP’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children. 
 
We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. 

About the Laboratory

The Annavajhala Lab, a.k.a. the TRACES (Tracing Epidemics in Sewage) Lab, is dedicated to understanding microbial dynamics in environmental systems. We use basic, translational, and applied approaches to translate microbiological and virological data from lab-scale wastewater bioreactor models, wastewater from CHOP and other sources, and various environmental sampling efforts, with the ultimate goal of enabling clinically-relevant environmental and wastewater pathogen surveillance.

We are looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work alongside colleagues with diverse engineering, microbiology, and computational biology backgrounds. Diverse projects are available, with opportunity to pursue new lines of research based on the candidate’s interest and experience.

We are a young lab looking for adventurous researchers to produce cutting-edge research to benefit patients and public health. Our goal is to be a research group where everyone has the opportunity to explore, think creatively, and collaborate as a team to tackle pressing issues relevant to population health. Come join us!

Experience

• Experience with bacterial culture and extractions, molecular biology techniques (PCR, qPCR), short- or long-read sequencing, bacterial or viral genomics and/or metagenomics required

• Experience working with potential biological hazards (BSL2+) preferred

• Experience setting up and running laboratory automation systems (e.g., OpenTrons or similar robotic liquid handling systems) preferred

• Experience with water, wastewater or other environmental samples preferred

Responsibilities 

• Maintaining an active research portfolio supporting the overall goals of the laboratory; can include work on ongoing projects and/or development of new research initiatives in line with candidate’s interests

• Publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals and presenting work at relevant conferences and meetings

• Making efforts to secure external funding to support future research endeavors

• Mentoring and training of junior laboratory members

• Participate in project planning, recording, and evaluation of data. 

• Conduct independent scholarly research, developing new methods and protocols under the guidance of a mentor (principal investigator). 

• Acquire technical, lab management, and grant writing skills. 

• Participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions, national presentations, and professional workshops. 

• Supervise junior lab members. 

• Assist with other research projects as needed. 

 

Education 

• Required: Doctorate 

• Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Environmental Microbiology or related fields

• Doctoral-level degrees in other related fields (e.g., Microbiology, Computational Biology) are welcome with demonstrated relevant resear