Position Description

Associate in Research in Venturelli Lab  

An associate in research is available on January 6, 2025 in the Venturelli Lab (www.venturellilab.org). The Venturelli Lab aims to understand how interactions across genetic, molecular and ecological scales impact functions of microbial communities. A major goal is to design novel strategies to precisely shift microbiomes to desired metabolic states. Our major focus is understanding and engineering the health-relevant functions such as metabolite profiles, host-microbe interactions and pathogen inhibition of the human gut microbiome. Responsibilities of this position could encompass:

Project goals include:

o   Investigate the effects of combinations of dietary fibers and human gut bacteria on host epithelial cell intestinal barrier (IEB) integrity

o   Measure bacterial metabolites using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry associated with IEB integrity

o   Develop statistical and/or mechanistic models to quantify interactions between human gut bacteria, key metabolites, dietary fibers and IEB integrity

o   Investigate effects of human gut bacteria and bacterial metabolites on specific signaling pathways in host epithelial cells

Qualifications include a B.S. in biology, engineering or related field. The ideal candidate will have experience in one or more of the following areas: computational modeling, microbiology techniques, mammalian cell culture, bioinformatics, mass spectrometry, molecular biology and/or next-generation sequencing techniques. Responsibilities for this position include (1) leading research project; (2) carefully documenting procedures and results; (3) presenting research in lab meetings; (4) contributing to lab set-up, organization, and maintenance; (5) working collaboratively with others in the lab. Interested candidates should send their CV, description of research interests, career goals and at least 3 letters of reference to Dr. Ophelia Venturelli (ophelia.venturelli@duke.edu).

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

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