Postdoctoral Fellow

Job DescriptionJob Description
Mission Driven, Community Focused About | Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (cdrewu.edu)

Charles R. Drew University is located in the Watts-Willowbrook area of south Los Angeles and was founded in 1966 in the wake of the Watts uprising. CDU was founded to address inadequate medical care in the region and to provide equitable medical education opportunities for underrepresented students.

CDU is strongly invested in the local and regional community. The university leads multiple partnerships and programs to provide equitable healthcare resources in a variety of south Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Job Summary:

Under the supervision of the Division Chief and Principal Investigator, Dr. Jay Vadgama, two (2) Postdoctoral Fellowship positions for Underrepresented Minorities (URM) are available immediately in the Division of Cancer Research and Training at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU). We are recruiting fellows to conduct oncology research that integrates clinical, basic, and community-based research. The outcome of these efforts will result in the development of translational cancer research at CDU.

This Research Fellowship is a two-year appointment supported by CDU's American Cancer Society - Diversity in Cancer Research Institutional Development Grant. The selected candidates will join the Division of Cancer Research and Training under PI, Dr. Vadgama. The two-year ACS fellowship will cover the annual salary based on NIH (National Institutes of Health) salary scale and provides funds for laboratory supplies for the research project. There are funds to cover one trip per year to attend national meetings, resources for completing postdoctoral training, and mentorship.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and plan research in collaboration with the Principal Investigator.
• Participates in conducting research studies - including performing laboratory assays such as immunohistochemistry, MTT assay, RNA extractions, real-time PCR, western blots, biochemical determinations, plasmid preparation and analysis, cell transfections and next-generation sequencing library preparation for various omics approaches.
• Provide technical leadership and co-mentorship to co-workers, collaborators, graduate students and undergraduate interns.
• Responsible for generating, analyzing, conducting statistical analyses, and presenting scientific data in progress reports, presentations, manuscripts, grant applications, and local/national conferences.
• Engage in collaborative studies, coordinate activities with other members of the lab; and/or collaborators/mentors in CDU or other institutions.
• Maintains related correspondence and regulatory paperwork.
• Career development activities including grant writing.
• Perform other related activities as assigned.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications/Requirements:

EDUCATION:

• Applicants must hold a PhD in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology or other related fields and have completed PhD degree studies within the last three (3) years. Previous experience in cancer biology and working with mouse models of breast cancer is highly recommended.

EXPERIENCE:

• Must be a highly motivated individual with a PhD in biomedical sciences, with an excellent track record of research and a strong intention to develop into an independent investigator. Publications in peer-reviewed journals required as a significant contributing author.Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis required.
• Experience in cancer biology or cell and molecular biology including strong molecular biology (cloning, DNA/RAN analysis, PCR etc.), cell biology (cell culture, cellular assays, microscopy), and biochemical and immunoassay (Western blotting, immunofluorescence assays, ELISA) skills is strongly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY/SKILLS:

• Ability to perform basic cell culture; growth, invasion, and MTT assays; IHC/IMF; PCR/Western, and other standard molecular and biochemical assays as needed.
• Ability to prepare buffers and reagents as requested according to protocols.
• Ability to follow and adjust protocols to successfully perform experiments.
• Willingness to learn new molecular/biochemical procedures.
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and use of PubMed. Knowledge of online public cancer-related dataset mining preferred.

COMPLEXITY:

• The ability to perform highly detailed work with sustained attention and care while providing/obtaining information on numerous inquiries is paramount to success in this position.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Occasional stooping. Frequent standing. Constant walking, sitting, climbing, reaching high/low levels, finger movement, feeling, speaking clearly, hearing conversationally, and seeing far and near.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Occasionally required to work in confined space.

MENTAL DEMANDS:

• The mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Frequent work on a variety of unrelated tasks. Constant calculating interrupted work, work on a variety of interrelated tasks, and use of sustained concentration, reasoning, judgment, resourcefulness, analytical ability, and ingenuity.

Special Requirements:

• Ability to work effectively with a diverse community.
• Applicants must be an underrepresented minority (URM) from ethnic or racial backgrounds as defined by the National Institutes of Health. See https://diversity.nih.gov/about-us/population-underrepresented.
• COVID-19 Vaccination: As a health professions institution of higher education, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science seeks to protect the health and safety of the University community. As a condition of enrollment and employment, proof of the newest COVID-19 booster will be required for CDU students, faculty, and staff entry to the CDU campus. Please note that vaccination requirements may change as our Federal, State, and local public health laws change. Requests for disability and religious accommodations from faculty and staff will be evaluated consistent with the law and University policies and procedures.

Compensation:

• $71,843.20 Annually

Position Status:

• Full Time

Work Location:

• On Site

Conditional Statement: The employment status of this position is classified as "Conditional". Conditional employment means that the job exists contingent upon funding limitations of restricted funds or, the duration of a specific program, project, grant or contract. The duration of grant for this position is through December 31, 2024.

EEO Statement: Charles R. Drew University is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity. Applicants will be considered without regard to gender, race, age, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, disability or covered veteran status.

Fair Chance Statement: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local "Fair Chance" laws.