Post-Doc Research Associate - Vaziri-Bowser labs

Employer: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Location: Chapel Hill, NC

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Employment Type: Full Time
Institution Type: Four-Year Institution

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Job Details
Organization

Department:

Pathology Lab Med - Research - 413804

Open Until Filled:

Yes

Position Type:

Postdoctoral Scholar

Position Title:

Post-Doc Research Associate - Vaziri-Bowser labs

Vacancy ID:

PDS004937

Full-time/Part-time:

Full-Time Temporary

Hours per week:

FTE:

Work Location:

Chapel Hill, NC

Position Location:

North Carolina, US

Hiring Range:

Dependent on Experience and Qualifications

Estimated Duration of Appointment:

12 Months

Be a Tar Heel!:

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit:

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education and research.

Patient care: We promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.

Education: We prepare tomorrow`s healthcare professionals and biomedical researchers from all backgrounds by facilitating learning within innovative and integrated curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education to ensure a highly skilled workforce.

Research: We develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers and resources. We provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our university to support outstanding research. We foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic and population research.

Position Summary:

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a collaborative, co-mentored research program between the laboratories of Dr. Cyrus Vaziri and Dr. Jessica Bowser. The successful candidate will investigate fundamental mechanisms of the DNA damage response (DDR), cell cycle regulation, and their implications for genome stability, cancer biology, and therapeutic response For recent related publications please see: Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 5;16(1):7214. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62368-8. PMID: 40764480; Cell Rep. 2025 Jan 28;44(1):115104. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115104. Epub 2024 Dec 20. PMID: 39708320; Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 4;15(1):1957. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45979-5. PMID: 38438348. This position offers the unique benefit of dual academic mentorship, along with industry-relevant experience through collaborations with the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (UNC) and the Metabolomics and Exposome Laboratory (UNC). These collaborations will provide the candidate with access to complementary expertise, resources, and scientific perspectives across multiple disciplines.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

MD or PhD in a biological science or related discipline.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

Experience in DNA damage and cell cycle fields.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

Knowledge
Subject-specific knowledge: A strong base of knowledge in signal transduction, genome maintenance, DNA replication, cell cycle, and how these processes impact carcinogenesis and cancer therapy.Research methods: Independence and expertise in designing experiments, collecting data, and performing necessary techniques.
Responsible conduct of research: Familiarity with ethical guidelines, regulations, and policies governing research.
Funding and publishing: Understanding the processes for securing grants and publishing findings in scientific journals.

Skills
Communication: Ability to communicate effectively through writing (manuscripts) and speaking (seminars, presentations) to both specialized and broad audiences.
Data analysis and statistics: Proficiency with statistical software (e.g., GraphPad Prism) and strong analytical skills, ability to generate high-resolution publication-quality figures (e.g. using Adobe Illustrator).
Technical skills: Demonstrated expertise in state-of-the-art molecular biology, cell biology, genetic, and biochemical approaches required to study mechanisms of genome maintenance. This includes cell culture, DNA cloning, mutagenesis, expressing proteins in mammalian and bacterial cells, gene editing, protein biochemistry, imaging, flow cytometry. Ability to learn new techniques quickly and efficiently. Ability to troubleshoot.
Project management: Ability to multi-task, manage time, projects, and resources effectively.
Scientific writing: Ability to write manuscripts and generate high-quality figures.

Abilities
Adaptability and resilience: The capacity to adapt to new research directions, technologies, and work environments.
Independent work: The ability to work independently, formulate and test hypotheses, and drive your own research.
Problem-solving and critical thinking: Analytical ability to identify problems and find effective solutions.
Collaboration: Working effectively in interdisciplinary and collaborative teams.
Leadership and management: Interpersonal skills necessary to manage a project, collaborate with others, and facilitate teamwork.
Professionalism: reliable, accountable, considerate, honest.
Goal-orientation and professional maturity: Understanding that this position strictly requires achieving research milestones and deliverables (manuscripts) that benefit the entire lab while facilitating your own professional goals. The PIs (Vaziri and Bowser) will be committed to your success: they will develop an individual training plan (IDP) that is tailored to your specific needs and will ensure that you attain your scientific and career goals.

Special Instructions:

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here

Minimum lab attendance is 9:00-6:00 M-F. Occasional late evenings and weekend days will also be necessary to ensure continuity of experiments. Administrative work (e.g. online trainings and certificates required by UNC) and data management and analysis will be done outside of these hours.

The nation’s first public university is at the heart of what’s next, preparing a diverse student body to become creators, explorers, innovators and leaders in North Carolina and throughout the world. Carolina’s nationally recognized, innovative teaching, campus-wide spirit of inquiry and dedication to public service continue the legacy that began in 1795 when the University first opened its doors to students.

Here, in one of America's most beautiful college settings, we offer exceptional careers in richly diverse fields. Come explore what UNC-Chapel Hill has to offer you.

Undergraduate Enrollment: 19,117

Graduate/Professional Enrollment: 10,894

Total Student Enrollment: 30,011

Founded: 1789, as the first state university in the United States

Type of Institution: Public, four-year

Undergraduate Admission: 15,961

Graduate/Professional Enrollment: 10,039

Total Student Enrollment: 26,000

Faculty: 3,000

Percentage of faculty who hold Ph.D.s or the highest degrees in their field: 94 percent

Faculty/student ratio: 1/14

Location: UNC is located in the heart of Chapel Hill, the best college town in America! It's a friendly town of about 40,000 in the geographical center of North Carolina. Chapel Hill is at the western point of the Research Triangle, an area of about one million people, comprised of Chapel Hill, the cities of Durham and Raleigh, and the Research Triangle Park, home of many corporate offices and scientific research centers. Carolina is about 30 miles from the state capital, Raleigh, and 20 minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Chapel Hill's main street, Franklin Street, borders the campus and offers shops, coffee houses, cafés, movie theaters and houses of worship. The town has a historic district, museum, library, parks, malls, and many recreational facilities.

Origins of Carolina's students: 82 percent of UNC's freshmen are from North Carolina and 18 percent are from out-of-state. Our students come from 42 different states and our international students represent 37 countries.

Size of freshman class: Approximately 3,400

Class size: Barely five percent of undergraduate classes contain more than 100 students; two-thirds of undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students. Forty-one percent have fewer than 20 students, including First Year Seminars, in which first-year students work closely with professors.

Sports and athletic programs: UNC is an NCAA Division I school with 28 varsity teams. Carolina is the proud home of the Dean Smith Center, Kenan Stadium, Carmichael Auditorium, Koury Natatorium, and many other fine athletic facilities. Students join more than 60 intramural and club sports, which include baseball, bowling, crew, golf, lacrosse, rock climbing, rugby, tae kwon do, and ultimate frisbee. The Student Recreation Center offers weight training, aerobics, stair machines, and all the equipment you would expect to find at a great health club! Carolina offers a newly renovated outdoor pool and indoor pools, a golf course, tennis courts, and the longest zipline in America!

Number of residence halls: Incoming undergraduates will live in one of Carolina's 29 residence halls, which are wired for Internet access and cable television. housing.unc.edu

Scholarships and financial aid: About 40 percent of UNC-Chapel Hill students receive scholarships and/or some form of financial aid. studentaid.unc.edu

Special research institutes: Institute for Research in Social Science, Institute of Outdoor Drama, Morehead Planetarium, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Institute of Government, Institute of African American Research.

Career services: On-campus counseling, job fairs, résumé writing service, internships, placement services. www.unc.edu/depts/career

Technological facilities: Students find multiple uses for Carolina's state-of-the-art technological resources. They can access Carolina's computer services through Academic Technology and Networks, which manages academic computing, e-mail, microcomputing labs, interactive media presentation, video and classroom support, and a help desk. The MetaLab oversees the development of SunSITE, one of the world's busiest digital library and electronic publishing projects.

Students may open e-mail accounts, and many use campus computer resources to construct personal Web pages. Students in residence halls have hardwired network connections to the Internet and cable television in their rooms. At the ATN Training center, students may take classes on software packages and utilities. Computer labs are available for student use all over campus.

Carolina Computing Initiative: Beginning with the freshman class of 2000, undergraduates must purchase laptop computers. The University has arranged for IBM to offer computers at excellent prices. Students, faculty, and staff will enjoy cost savings, higher quality compatible equipment, and better technical support through CCI. www.unc.edu/cci

The Study Abroad program allows students to live and learn in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Africa, and the Americas. www.unc.edu/depts/abroad

The Honors Program offers special seminars, research programs, and the chance to design your own independent studies. www.unc.edu/depts/honors

Carolina students spend time in public service through student organizations, the Campus Y, the Carolina Center for Public Service, and courses that incorporate community service.

UNC's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national collegiate honor society, is the oldest in North Carolina, dating from 1904. There are many other honorary societies at Carolina.

UNC offers ROTC programs in all branches of national military service.

Through the First Year Seminars program, first year students will understand what it means to study at a premier research university. They will learn from faculty members and share in their research in seminars of no more than 20 students.

Life outside the classroom: More than 370 clubs, teams, and student organizations offer something for everyone! You can choose from among musical and dramatic performing groups, publications, ethnic and religious clubs, the Campus Y and other service organizations, fraternities and sororities, and pre- professional organizations. Whatever your interests, you will find others at Carolina who share them! www.unc.edu/depts/union/student/listintr.htm