Gene Regulation and Cytokine Biology in Lymphocytes

A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Han-Yu Shih at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. Shih lab aims to understand the mechanisms that precisely regulate gene expression in lymphoid cells through multidisciplinary genomic approaches. Lymphoid cells communicate the perturbation of homeostasis by production of cytokines, dysregulation of which results in inflammation in infectious, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, we are interested in three fundamental questions:

• How do chromatin landscapes and transcription factors control innate lymphoid cell development and activation?
• How do cytokines and their producers contribute to the progression of aging and neurodegenerative diseases?
• How do neuropeptides control lymphocyte lineage identity and functionality in autoimmune responses in CNS?

The candidates will investigate immunoregulation using “omic” approaches, with the ultimate goal for identifying potential therapeutic targets.

This position offers exposure to multidisciplinary and cutting-edge genomic research and opportunities to collaborate closely with experts in immunology, neurobiology, and bioinformatics. The candidates will be leading/co-leading projects, designing experiments for generating high-dimensional data while working closely with collaborators and lab members. The candidate will be supported with an excellent intramural NIH fellowship in a stimulating and interactive research environment at NIH. Opportunities for training in bioinformatics as well as mentoring postbacs or summer students will be available based on interest. Salary is commensurate with research experience and accomplishments.

Selected publications:

• Sciumè G, Mikami Y, Jankovic D, Nagashima H, Villarino AV, Morrison T, Yao C, Signorella S, Sun HW, Brooks SR, Fang D, Sartorelli V, Nakayamada S, Hirahara K, Zitti B, Davis FP, Kanno Y, O’Shea JJ, Shih HY. Rapid enhancer landscape remodeling and transcription factor repurposing enable high magnitude gene induction upon acute activation of NK cells. Immunity. 2020 PMID: 33010223
• Nagashima H, Mahlakõiv T, Shih HY, Davis FP, Meylan F, Huang Y, Harrison OJ, Yao C, Mikami Y, Urban JF Jr, Caron KM, Belkaid Y, Kanno Y, Artis D, O’Shea JJ. Neuropeptide CGRP Limits Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cell Responses and Constrains Type 2 Inflammation. Immunity. 2019 PMID: 31353223
• Shih HY, Sciumè G, Mikami Y, Guo L, Sun HW, Brooks S, Urban J, Davis F, Kanno Y, O’Shea JJ. Developmental acquisition of regulomes underlies innate lymphoid cell functionality. Cell. 2016 PMID: 27156451

Qualifications:

• Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in immunology, neuroscience, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, computational biology or a related field, within three years of degree being awarded;
• Must have first authorship on at least one peer-reviewed publication;
• Must be self-motivated and keen to develop and/or learn cutting-edge technologies and/or up-to-date genomic data analysis;
• Experience in animal experiments, or NGS data analysis are preferred;
• The ability to work as part of a cohesive group is important as we are a highly collaborative lab;

To Apply:

Interested candidates please send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information of three references to: NEI Shih Lab han-yu.shih@nih.gov

Lab website:
https://www.nei.nih.gov/research/research-labs-and-branches/neuro-immune-regulome-unit

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