Postdoctoral and Research Specialist Positions in Microbiome, Immunology, and Computational Biology
The Translational Microbiome & Immune Tolerance Laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation (CAMRI) within the Institute of Genome Sciences (IGS) is recruiting postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and research specialists to join our interdisciplinary team studying the gut microbiome’s role in immune tolerance development. Our lab integrates multi-omics, microbial genetics, experimental models, immunology, and clinical cohorts to investigate molecular mechanisms by which gut microbial metabolism shapes host immunity.
Prospective PhD and MD/PhD students should apply through the Molecular Microbiology & Immunology and Molecular Medicine Graduate Programs of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. We also welcome rotation students, visiting researchers or PhD students from other institutions — please contact Dr. Ozcam directly via email.
The successful postdoctoral candidate will generate, analyze, and integrate multi-omics microbiome datasets, including shotgun metagenomics, single-cell transcriptomics, and proteomics/metabolomics. The overarching goal of this work is to understand how early-life diet shapes the functional capacity of the gut microbiome and how microbial metabolic pathways influence host immune development and the risk of childhood allergic diseases. This position will combine computational and experimental approaches to study host–microbe interactions, including the isolation and characterization of gut microbial species and their functional properties in vitro and in vivo. The candidate will also develop predictive models to identify microbiome- and immune-derived signatures associated with allergy risk and treatment outcomes.
Microbiome, Immunology, and Translational Biology Position
Focus: Host–microbe interactions, microbial function, multi-omics integration, and mechanistic microbiology
Key areas:
Shotgun metagenomic analysis
Integration of single-cell RNA-seq, proteomic, and metabolomic datasets
Isolation and culture of gut microbial species, including anaerobes
Functional characterization of microbes and microbial metabolites in vitro
In vivo studies using gnotobiotic or conventional animal models
Investigation of microbiome-driven modulation of host immune responses
Machine learning and AI applications for biomarker discovery
Clinical metadata harmonization across cohorts
Integration of clinical, microbial, and immune datasets to uncover mechanisms of disease and tolerance
Experience with Python/R and cloud computing preferred
Ideal candidate:
A scientist with a background in microbiology, immunology, computational biology, or a related field, with interest in combining experimental and computational approaches. The ideal candidate is motivated to study host–microbe interactions through both mechanistic microbiology and data-driven analyses, and to translate these findings to human disease.
What We Offer
-Access to clinical samples from well-characterized pediatric cohorts
-Collaborative environment across CAMRI and IGS
-Mentorship in academic career development
-Cutting-edge tools in multi-omics and host-microbe systems biology
To apply, please send a CV to mozcam@som.umaryland.edu.