MD Anderson Cancer Center Jobs

A postdoctoral position is now available in the Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States! This position will report to Dr. Andrew Dunbar, MD, a new physician-scientist faculty member in the Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy.

The Andrew Dunbar lab at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) seeks a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow with a strong biomedical research background to join our team. We are interested in using genetically engineered mouse models of myeloid blood cancers and clinical isolates from individuals affected by these diseases to investigate mechanisms of mutational cooperativity, hematopoietic stem cell fitness, drug resistance, and disease evolution in order to identify novel treatment regimens that inform early-phase investigator-initiated clinical trials. We also aim to utilize unbiased, high-throughput, "multi-omic" modalities to decode clonal evolution and interaction states among diverse cell types in the diseased tumor/bone marrow niche to inform our understanding of bone marrow fibrosis progression and immune-mediated tumor cell escape in MPNs.

The Dunbar lab is seeking an enthusiastic, self-motivated, independent thinker with a tremendous work ethic. The position will require great planning and organizational skills. An ability to work well with others as part of a cohesive team, take initiative, and creatively problem-solve are also a must. We are also interested in candidates with expertise in genetically engineered mouse models of disease and those with computational and/or (epi)genomic analytic skills. The goal will be to develop new in vivo and molecular tools that model and capture multi-modal information at single-cell resolution, including within spatial contexts, and validate and extend these findings with an array of in vitro and in vivo functional genomic screening techniques.

Following his medical degree at New York Medical College, Dr. Dunbar completed his internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center and oncology training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, New York. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Ross Levine, a preeminent leader in the study of clonal hematopoiesis and the molecular pathogenesis of malignant myeloid neoplasms, Dr. Dunbar elucidated mechanisms of oncogenic dependency and inflammatory signaling in bone marrow fibrosis development of JAK/STAT-mediated myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). In January 2024, Dr. Dunbar joined MD Anderson Cancer Center as an Assistant Professor within the Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy and has a co-appointment in the Department of Leukemia. Dr. Dunbar has an excellent track record for highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research in cancer biology, including multiple first/second authorships in malignant myeloid research, mutational cooperativity, and inflammatory/immune signaling (see Dunbar et al, Cancer Discovery, 2024, Dunbar et al, Blood, 2023, Dunbar et al, Blood, 2021, Fidler et al, Nature Cardiovascular Research, 2024, Bowman et al, biorxiv.org, 2022).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Together with Dr. Dunbar, the postdoctoral fellow will receive comprehensive training and conduct research at the broad intersection of cancer biology, oncogenic signaling, epigenetics, and drug development, which will help build a strong portfolio for future career development. They will also work closely with local experimental and computational collaborators and benefit from Dr. Dunbar's relationships with colleagues at other top-tier institutes through additional external collaboration. They will also have access to the depth and breadth of available research platforms at MD Anderson, the world's top-ranked cancer center, and more broadly the Texas Medical Center. This includes access to its large, clinically annotated patient biobank, state-of-the-art vivarium facilities, high-performance computation cluster, single-cell core facility, epigenetics core, flow cytometry and spatial imaging facilities, drug screening core, and the vast immunogenomic and computational resources available at the physically adjacent ECLIPSE platform.

Dr. Dunbar is deeply committed to the professional fulfillment and career advancement of all trainees and will operate with the primary goal of fostering career growth and development. Mentorship will be mutually planned and an individually tailored approach for each member of the team and will also involve an extended committee of senior faculty members across multiple disciplinary fields to ensure full success. Together, we will work to create a successful training-and ultimately transition-plan in accordance with one's goals.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Individuals with a PhD degree in cancer biology, molecular biology, genomics, genetics, immunology, or related fields. Desirable experiences include experience working with genetically engineered mouse models of disease, next-generation sequencing (bulk or single cell genomics), immune microenvironmental/cell-cell interaction, and CRISPR. Candidates should have the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and have a proven track record of publications and excellent written and oral communication skills.

ADDITIONAL APPLICATION INFORMATION

Consideration of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

POSITION INFORMATION

MD Anderson follows the NIH stipend levels as outlined by the Kirchstein - NRSA (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-23-076.html) . This full-time trainee position will provide a salary between $56,484 to $68,604, dependent upon the years of postgraduate experience.

MD Anderson offers compensated trainees:

• Paid medical benefits (zero premium) starting on first day for trainees who work 30 or more hours per week

• Group Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D and Disability coverage

• Paid Education Vacation and Sick Leave

• Paid institutional holidays, wellness leave, childcare leave and other paid leave programs

• Teachers Retirement System defined-benefit pension plan and two voluntary retirement plans

• Employer paid life, AD&D and an illness-related reduced salary pay program

• Health Savings Account and Dependent Care Reimbursement flexible spending accounts

• Fertility benefits

• State of Texas longevity pay

• Extensive wellness, fitness, employee health programs and employee resource groups

FACULTY MENTOR

Andrew Dunbar, MD