Ready to join a workforce UNLIKE any other?

Advertising Summary: We are seeking candidates with a passion for healthcare and providing an outstanding patient experience.

Postdoctoral Benefits Link: 

https://research.vcu.edu/resources/postdoctoral-services/postdoctoral-benefits/

Unit: Massey Comprehensive Cancer Ctr MBU

Department: Massey Central Admin

Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

Mission: To reduce the state cancer burden for all Virginians by addressing the confluence between biological, social, and policy drivers through high-impact, cutting-edge research; person-centered care across the continuum, from prevention through survivorship; community integration; and training the next generation of community-centric researchers and healthcare professionals

Vision: To be a premier community-focused cancer center leading the nation in cancer health equity research and ensuring optimal health outcomes for all

The university and the region

VCU is a public research university unlike any other, dedicated to serving the needs of students and patients. Inclusion is our heartbeat and it drives us to tackle difficult challenges others can’t or won’t. We’re home to creativity, teaching, discovery and healing. Our location in the heart of downtown Richmond, Virginia, means the nonstop energy of our city ignites our innovation and provides unlimited opportunities for our students.

About Virginia Commonwealth University

We are the university for Virginia. We know that the unique backgrounds and life experiences of the VCU community are what drive the university forward. Together, we’re forging a future that is built by us. Here, artists and engineers, doctors and designers come together to reimagine the human experience and tackle the problems of tomorrow.

VCU dates to 1838 with the formation of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, whose mission was to educate physicians in central Virginia and which was later renamed Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, Richmond Professional Institute merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become what is now known as Virginia Commonwealth University.

Located in downtown Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, VCU enrolls more than 28,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs across its urban campuses: the downtown Monroe Park and MCV campuses in Richmond; the Rice Rivers Center in Charles City, Virginia; satellite locations in Fairfax, Virginia, and Abingdon, Virginia; and a campus in Doha, Qatar, for the School of the Arts.

Ignited by the energy of the city, we’re ready to lead industries — or disrupt them. We seek out the unexpected, the experimental, the never-been-tried. VCU is designated as a research university with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation, garnering more than $500 million in sponsored research from federal and other agencies in FY2024. The National Science Foundation ranked VCU among the top 50 public research universities in the country, and we are one of only 69 public universities nationwide to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity.”

This research enterprise, and the influence of having one of the nation’s top-ranked public graduate arts schools, ensures students receive unique educational experiences that equip them with a creative mindset that sets them apart.

VCU’s contributions in talent, innovation and entrepreneurialism, regional stewardship and local culture shape the economic impact and overall quality of life in the region. VCU as a whole generates more than $9 billion in economic activity. It is the largest employer in Richmond with more than 26,000 employees at VCU and VCU Health, and it supports approximately 58,000 jobs in Virginia. In addition, Virginia classifies VCU with a Tier III status — the highest possible status for universities and colleges — allowing VCU more flexibility in managing its operations to implement best practices and streamline processes. To learn about VCU’s finances, visit about.finance.vcu.edu.

VCU’s mission, under the leadership of President Michael Rao, Ph.D., is to serve as one national urban public research institution dedicated to the success and well-being of our students, patients, faculty, staff and community through:

• Real-world learning that furthers civic engagement, inquiry, discovery and innovation.
• Research that expands the boundaries of new knowledge and creative expression and promotes translational applications to improve the quality of human life.
• Interdisciplinary collaborations and community partnerships that advance innovation, enhance cultural and economic vitality, and solve society’s most complex challenges.
• Health sciences that preserve and restore health for all people, seek the cause and cure of diseases through groundbreaking research and educate those who serve humanity.

Welcome to VCU. A world unlike any other.

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join the laboratory of Dr Gordon Ginder at Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and Departments of Internal Medicine and Human and Molecular Genetics. The research focus of the lab is on understanding epigenetic regulators of normal erythropoiesis and cancer cell proliferation and survival, with special emphasis on leukemia. The current goals of this research are to understand how the NuRD co-repressor complex promotes tumor cell growth and developmental gene regulation, and to identify and validate targets to disrupt this process in leukemia and in sickle cell anemia. The ultimate goal is to develop targeted therapeutic agents to treat these diseases.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Participation in design and conduct of experiments aimed at understanding the mechanisms of the NuRD co-repressor complex and its components in gene regulation and cancer cell survival and the effects of disruption of the complex both independently and as a collaborative member of the laboratory team.
• Carrying out scientific literature searches relevant to the research projects in the lab.
• Participation in preparation of manuscripts and grant proposals.
• Presenting findings of research projects in lab meetings and at scientific meetings.
• Providing experimental advice to rotating students in the laboratory.

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in biological, genetic or biochemical sciences and or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training
• The selected candidate should have demonstrated proficiency in basic molecular and/or cellular biology with experience in cell culture, invitro transfection, gene expression assays including PCR, protein analysis by Western blot and flow cytometry.
• The applicant should also have evidence of strong communication skills in writing and speaking as well as the ability to work both independently and within a highly collaborative group.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Applicants with experience in one or more of the following: lentiviral gene transduction, CRISPR gene editing, animal model studies, HPLC chromatography, and complex data analyses are preferred
• 0 to 3 years of postdoctoral training is preferred

Please note VCU is not able to provide ongoing visa sponsorship for this position.

Please let us know if you were referred by a current Massey employee to ensure we honor our commitment to the Employee Referral Program.

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran’s period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

Salary Range: Starting at $60,000 - commensurate with experience

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

Restricted Position: Yes

*** This is a grant funded role and will last approximately 3 years ***

Contact Information

Contact Name: Massey HR
Contact Email: MasseyHR@vcu.edu