Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Dannie Engle

Job Summary

The Engle Lab focuses on understanding the etiology and progression of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer to develop better prevention, diagnostic, and treatment strategies. Our research uses patient-derived organoids, molecular profiling, functional precision medicine, and in vivo models. Recent work established a comprehensive biobank of chronic pancreatitis patient-derived organoids and identified widespread CFTR dysfunction, including in patients without pathogenic CFTR mutations, revealing new opportunities to investigate targeted therapies for pancreatic disease.

Position Description

A postdoctoral position is immediately available for a highly motivated scientist to lead the next phase of our patient-derived organoid program. The successful candidate will use patient-derived pancreatic organoids and complementary molecular and functional approaches to investigate CFTR and other ion-transport pathways, characterize mechanisms of disease heterogeneity, and evaluate therapeutic responses across patient-specific models.

Ideal candidates will be intellectually curious, collaborative, highly organized, and skilled in constructive problem solving. Strong project management skills are particularly valued, including the ability to independently drive projects forward, coordinate multiple experimental priorities and collaborations, maintain rigorous organization and documentation, and proactively identify and resolve roadblocks. Experience with mammalian cell culture and molecular biology is preferred; experience with organoids, pancreatic or epithelial biology, CFTR/ion transport, sequencing-based approaches, or mouse models is a plus.

Education

• PhD in a related field.

Job location is in Salk Main Campus

What We Can Offer

The full postdoctoral salary range for wet lab opportunities is $70,500-$78,000 (see below). This range covers the entire postdoctoral training period; recent Ph.D. graduates should expect an offer at or close to $70,500 (minimum of the salary range). Salk Institute provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the institute reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Benefits

Salk Institute offers competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, patient advocacy services, and transit/parking program.

Salk Values

The Salk Community, both scientists and administrators, worked together to define values that we believe support Salk’s pursuit of excellence. To be truly the best scientific institution requires not only incredible discoveries, but a common understanding of how we should work together to enable those discoveries.

The acronym “I CARE” provides a simple way to remember each of the values and reminds each of us of the importance of what we do each day.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal access to opportunities for students, employees, applicants for employment and other visitors. Salk has also adopted and maintains a policy to encourage professional and respectful workplace behavior and prevent discriminatory and harassing conduct in our workplace.

Accordingly, the Institute prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment on the basis of, and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to, actual or perceived race (race is inclusive of traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but not limited to, such hairstyles as braids, and twists), color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status (disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era, other covered veteran status), political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Discrimination is prohibited with any intersectionality of the above-mentioned characteristics, including:

1.  Any combination of characteristics.
2.  A perception that the person has any of the characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.
3.  A perception that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.