A postdoctoral position is available to study the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis for the devastating viruses, SARS-CoV2 and Zika virus, and develop powerful drug therapies and vaccines, in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND, in the United States. These are now some of the most high-need/high-priority research areas, given the existing COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Zika virus pandemic.

Our previous work, and along with our collaborators, has led to multiple seminal discoveries, spanning basic and translational sciences, and has been featured by top scientific journals and media such as Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, the AAAS EurekAlert, Drug Target Review, The Independent, The Atlantic, The Daily Mail, Pharmazeutisch Zeitung and others. Examples of our work include:

(i) Viral Pathogenesis Mechanisms: mapping out some of the essential machinery required for entry and egress of herpes virus into, and from, the cells using cell-culture, mouse and ex-vivo human organ models (J Virol 2014, DOI:10.1128/JVI.02071-14; Nature Communications 2015, DOI:10.1038/ncomms7985; PLoS One. 2014, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0087302)
(ii) Antiviral Innate Immune Responses: understanding the various distinct functions of autophagy in innate immune and antiviral responses to herpes virus infections (Sci Rep 2015, DOI:10.1038/srep09730; Sci Rep 2015, DOI:10.1038/srep12985; PLoS ONE 2015, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0124646)
(iii) Antiviral Therapies Development: including a highly potent antiviral small-molecule therapy that showed greater advantages over various existing antivirals that are in medical use today, a therapeutic peptide and a nanotherapy (nanoparticle-based therapy) (Science Translational Medicine 2018; DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.aan5861; J Virol 2015, DOI:10.1128/JVI.02979-14; J Immun 2016, DOI:10.4049/jimmunol.1502373)
(iv) Apoptosis – Adaptive Immunity Interactions: elucidating an important mechanism by which apoptosis suppresses adaptive immune responses and autoimmunity via hijacking the costimulatory/coinhibitory signaling required for T cell activation (Sci Rep 2018, DOI:10.1038/s41598- 018-28901-0; Front Pharmacol 2019, DOI:10.3389/fphar.2019.00562)
(v) Developing Organoid Models to Study Human Brain – Virus Interactions: such as developing an optimized methodology to build in-vitro a human brain-like 3D tissue (cerebral organoids, or human "mini-brains in a dish”) using advanced bioengineering techniques in human stem cells (Cell Transplant 2018, DOI:10.1177/0963689717752946; Neural Regen Res 2019, DOI:10.4103/1673- 5374.249283; Cell Transplant 2019, DOI:10.1177/0963689718822811)

This postdoc position will address some of the most important questions in science and medicine today, using cutting-edge technologies and tools, including CRISPR-Cas gene editing, stem cells, human neurons, human brain organoids and knockout mouse models. This research is likely to give rise to paradigm-shifting fundamental discoveries and impactful publications in outstanding scientific journals. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for a highly motivated ambitious junior scientist who wants to become established in the field and advance to an excellent academic (tenure-track faculty), or attractive industrial leadership, position in the near future.

A PhD earned or expected to be earned in the near future is required. Basic skills of cell culture and molecular biology, biochemistry or mouse techniques will be needed for the work- but we can train you in any of these skills or any skill the work needs. Critical and independent thinking skills and motivation (being self-driven) are essential for success in this position. A great range of freedom will also be given to thoughtful mature scientists.

To be considered for this position, please send your CV and a brief cover letter (1, or maximum 2, paragraphs) to Prof. Abraam Yakoub at theyakoublab@gmail.com. Should you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact us.