Description

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Position Summary:

The Gogna lab in the Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine, VCU School of Medicine is seeking a highly motivated and intellectually curious Postdoctoral Fellow to join our dynamic and multidisciplinary research team focused on uncovering the evolutionary underpinnings of cancer. Our group has made groundbreaking discoveries revealing an ancient, non-immune anticancer surveillance system in the human body, centered on cell fitness and cell competition. This work provides a transformative lens to understand how cancer behaves as a cellular bully, exploiting local organ-specific defense mechanisms to promote its growth and survival.

Our research, including a high-impact Nature publication, has demonstrated that each cell in the human body possesses a unique fitness identity-or "cell fitness fingerprint"-displayed on its surface. Cells assess the fitness of their neighbors and engage in competitive interactions that eliminate unfit or damaged cells, thereby maintaining tissue health. However, cancer cells subvert this system, manipulating cell-cell communication and exploiting local cell competition to outcompete healthy cells and invade organs.

This position offers a unique opportunity to advance the frontier of cancer biology by dissecting these novel cellular communication codes, exploring their role in tumorigenesis, and developing therapeutic strategies to restore healthy cell competition.

Research Focus Areas:

• Molecular decoding of cell fitness fingerprints
• Mechanisms of cell competition in healthy and diseased tissues
• Functional characterization of organ-specific cellular surveillance systems
• Cancer's evolutionary strategies to defeat intrinsic fitness-based defenses
• Integration of findings into translational models for anticancer therapy

Environment & Mentorship:

Our lab offers a highly collaborative and intellectually stimulating research environment with access to modern facilities and state-of-the-art technologies. The successful candidate will benefit from close mentorship, opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, and support in achieving career development goals in academia or industry.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and conduct independent and collaborative research projects investigating cell fitness signaling, cell competition, and cancer evolution
• Perform advanced molecular and cellular assays, including flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, gene editing (CRISPR), RNA/protein analysis, and cell sorting
• Analyze high-throughput datasets (e.g., transcriptomic or proteomic) to identify fitness-associated molecular signatures
• Develop and utilize in vitro and in vivo models to study tumor-host interactions and cancer's evasion of local cell surveillance mechanisms
• Contribute to the preparation of manuscripts, research reports, and grant proposals
• Present research findings at internal meetings and national/international scientific conferences
• Mentor and train junior lab members, including graduate and undergraduate students
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers across immunology, developmental biology, cancer biology, and evolutionary medicine
• Stay current with scientific literature and propose innovative hypotheses and experiments

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D., or equivalent degree in Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or related fields
• Demonstrated experience in cellular and molecular techniques (e.g., flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, CRISPR, cell sorting, RNA-seq, etc.)
• Strong background in immunology and cell-cell interactions is highly desirable
• Experience with cancer models or evolutionary biology is a plus
• Excellent communication skills and a passion for high-impact discovery
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at VCU

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience with cell competition, cell fitness signaling, or tumor-host interactions
• Publication(s) in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, particularly in fields such as cancer biology, immunology, or developmental biology
• Experience working with in vivo models of cancer or tissue-specific disease
• Familiarity with bioinformatics tools for analyzing transcriptomic, proteomic, or single-cell datasets
• Proficiency in advanced imaging techniques, such as confocal microscopy or live-cell imaging
• Strong track record of collaboration in interdisciplinary research teams
• Experience in writing or contributing to grant proposals or fellowship applications
• Interest in evolutionary biology, particularly as it relates to cancer or multicellular organization
• Demonstrated ability to mentor students or junior lab members

This is a restricted position with no set end date. Continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

ORP Eligible: Yes

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran's period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

VCU is transitioning to a new application system beginning October 1, 2025. If you apply before that date, you may be asked to resubmit your application in the new system after the system is live. Clear instructions will be provided at that time. We appreciate your understanding during this transition and look forward to reviewing your application.