Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated Staff Scientist to join our team investigating the mechanisms of T-cell dysfunction and immune evasion following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Our laboratory integrates expertise in epigenetics, chromatin regulation, and immunology to understand how altered gene regulatory programs drive T-cell exhaustion, impaired graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) responses, and post-transplant relapse in acute myeloid leukemia. The Staff Scientist will play a central role in developing and leading mechanistic projects, applying chromatin profiling, CRISPR functional genomics, and single-cell multi-omics to dissect the regulatory networks underlying T-cell dysfunction and identify therapeutic strategies to restore immune surveillance.
What We Offer
- A highly collaborative environment bridging epigenetics, immunology, and cancer therapy.
- Access to state-of-the-art single-cell platforms, CRISPR libraries, and mouse models for allo-HCT and leukemia.
- Opportunities for professional growth, including mentorship in grant writing.
Job Duties
- Lead mechanistic studies of donor T-cell dysfunction post-allo-HCT, with a focus on chromatin regulators, histone modifications, and transcriptional/epigenetic drivers of exhaustion.
- Apply single-cell transcriptomics, epigenomics (ATAC-seq, CUT&Tag), and CITE-seq to map dysfunctional T-cell states in murine models and patient samples.
- Use CRISPR/Cas9 screening and perturbation approaches to identify novel regulators of T-cell persistence, effector function, and exhaustion.
- Collaborate with wet-lab and computational teams to integrate multi-omics datasets with clinical outcomes.
- Mentor trainees and contribute to team science efforts, including multi-PI grants and translational collaborations.
- Contribute to manuscripts, conference presentations, and grant applications.
- Perform other job related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- Doctoral Degree. Experience may not be substituted in lieu of degree.
- Three years of post doctoral research experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Immunology, Epigenetics, Computational Biology, or related fields.
- Strong publication record with first-author papers in relevant areas.
- Demonstrated expertise in epigenetic/chromatin biology and its role in immune regulation or cancer biology.
- Hands-on experience with T-cell biology, single-cell approaches, or CRISPR screening.
- Strong data analysis skills and ability to work collaboratively across experimental and computational projects.
- Experience studying T-cell exhaustion, GVHD/GVL biology, or allo-HCT models.
- Knowledge of checkpoint pathways, metabolic regulation, or cytokine signaling in T cells.
- Background in integrating clinical datasets with mechanistic studies.
- Familiarity with drug discovery approaches (e.g., PROTACs, epigenetic inhibitors) that may reverse T-cell dysfunction.
Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Access Employer.
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