Postdoctoral Research Associate

Job Title

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Agency

Texas A&M University Health Science Center

Department

Ibt Center For Translational Cancer Research

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

Houston, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment 

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experiences. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.    

 

Who we are  

As one of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the nation, Texas A&M Health encompasses five colleges and numerous centers and institutes working together to improve health through transformative education, innovative research and team-based health care delivery. 

What we want

The Postdoctoral Research Associate is responsible for conducting translational pharmacology research in cancer therapeutics within the Drug Discovery Resource Center, with an initial emphasis on the pharmacology of natural killer cell fortification in collaboration with research partners at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will utilize the skills and expertise granted to them by their education and experience to complete research projects focused on mechanism of action, pharmacologic response, assay development, and translation of positive results toward patient treatment. Writes and may contribute to research papers, articles, and publications. Assists with the preparation and cleaning of worksite. May collaborate with other researchers, faculty, and external partners.

What you need to know

Salary: Will be commensurate based on the selected hire’s education and experience.   

Location/Schedule: Houston, TX/Full-Time;

• May have to work on the weekends and/or after normal hours

• May travel as required

We encourage you to apply! To help us learn more about your experience and interest in the role, please submit a cover letter and CV/resume. You can upload both documents in the CV/Resume section of the application. 

Responsibilities

Research

• Under general supervision, is responsible for conducting research into their field of expertise.

• Coordinates research activities with Drug Discovery Resource Center leadership and other internal or external collaborators as appropriate to advance translational objectives.

• Utilizes knowledge and skills granted to them by their education and expertise to complete research projects in their field of expertise.

• Develops, adapts, and performs biochemical, cell-based, immunologic, imaging, and/or computational assays as appropriate to project goals, including assay-development and drug-discovery workflows.

• Analyzes research data, summarizes results, and interprets findings in the context of drug discovery and development.

• Writes and may contribute to research papers, articles, and publications.

• Assists with the preparation and cleaning of worksite.

Mentoring

• May assist, mentor, and/or supervise student researchers and/or graduate students who are working on research related to the project, including training in assay execution, data analysis, good laboratory practices, and collaborative drug discovery workflows.

Presentations

• Prepares presentation materials on research topic that may be presented to small and/or large groups, including internal program meetings, advisory or training-program meetings, external collaborators, and research sponsors.

• Actively participates in the preparation of required technical progress reports to research sponsors, collaborative project teams, and training or career-development programs as appropriate.

Departmental Support

• Participates in interdisciplinary proposal-team activities and assists with organization, data compilation, literature review, figure/table preparation, and technical documentation in support of external funding proposals including personal fellowships and program related proposals.

• Contributes to emerging program efforts in drug discovery and development, including future projects involving blood-brain barrier models and neurodegenerative disease such as DPRIT and related funding opportunities become available.

• Engages in individualized training in drug discovery and development, regulatory and commercial translation, collaborative research practices, career-development planning, and fellowship/grant preparation to support future independent research in industry or academics.

• Participates in structured professional-development activities, which may include advisory-committee meetings, Cancer Therapeutics Training Program or GCC Innovative Drug Discovery and Development activities, and preparation for K99/R00 or comparable career-development opportunities as appropriate Remaining.

Required Education and Experience

• Appropriate PhD in a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Higher Education

• Experience with molecular biology, protein biochemistry, mammalian cell culture, cell-based assay development, fluorescence/imaging, flow cytometry, or related methods.

• Experience with computational drug discovery, molecular modeling, structure-based design, or analysis software such as MOE, AlphaFold/Boltz, GraphPad Prism, Python/R, or related tools.

• Experience or interest in cancer pharmacology, immuno-oncology, natural killer cell biology, drug discovery and development, translational therapeutics, blood-brain barrier models, or neurodegenerative disease research.

• Evidence of effective written and oral communication, collaborative research, mentoring, and contribution to publications, presentations, or competitive fellowship/grant preparation.

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written skills.

• Oral and written presentation skills.

• Analytical skills, including ability to interpret mechanism-of-action and pharmacologic response data.

• Attention to detail.

• Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external research partners.

• Ability to learn and apply drug discovery and development workflows, pharmacology concepts, translational research practices, and career-development planning activities.

Why Texas A&M University? 

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration.  

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums  

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays   

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month  

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas   

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time  

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more   

• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee  

• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees  

 

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered, or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to prepopulate the online application. 

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.