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The Behkam Lab at Virginia Tech seeks highly motivated and dynamic candidates for a postdoctoral associate position in Engineered Living Materials and Systems. This position will provide a unique opportunity to work in a highly collaborative interdisciplinary environment as part of a team of engineers, cell biologists, clinicians, and public health experts.

The project will focus on engineering generally recognized as safe (GRAS) bacteria and yeast for disease monitoring and treatment applications. The engineered cells will be integrated into multifunctional Engineered Living Systems or Materials. Combining experimental work with computational modeling, this position will offer a unique opportunity to acquire a well-rounded interdisciplinary skillset. The selected candidate will also be encouraged to pursue complementary new research directions and apply for independent grants and fellowships. They will also be mentored to develop scientific leadership and management skills.

Compensation for this position will be at or above NIH guidelines and will include competitive benefits and a retirement package offered by Virginia Tech. The position is available starting as soon as possible and is eligible for annual renewal contingent upon satisfactory progress and continued funding.

 

Qualifications:

Candidates must hold a doctorate in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Biophysics, or a related discipline by the start of the postdoc appointment. The ideal candidate will have expertise in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, experience working with Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) microorganisms, and proficiency in standard cell culture techniques. Preference will be given to candidates with additional expertise in two or more of the following areas: (1) molecular biology techniques (e.g., RNA-seq, RT-PCR, Western immunoblots, ELISA, flow cytometry), (2) advanced optical microscopy, (3) recombination DNA technology, and (4) computational modeling and analysis tools. Candidates must have strong problem-solving, analytical, and organizational skills; the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects; excellent written and oral communication skills; enthusiasm to conduct independent and collaborative interdisciplinary research; and the ability and willingness to mentor graduate and undergraduate students.

 

Application Process:

Interested candidates should assemble a single PDF document containing a (1) cover letter outlining how this position relates to the candidate’s past experience, future goals, and research interests, (2) curriculum vitae with a complete list of publications, (3) name and contact information of three academic references, (4) two key first-author manuscripts that have been published or accepted for publication. The application should be submitted via email to Professor Bahareh Behkam at behkam@vt.edu with “Syn Bio Postdoctoral application” in the subject line.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until it is filled.

The Health and Disease Mechanobiology Research Interest Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech seeks highly motivated and dynamic candidates for a postdoctoral associate position in microfluidics and vascular mechanobiology. This position will provide a unique opportunity to work in a highly collaborative interdisciplinary environment as part of a team of engineers, cell biologists, and clinicians.

This NIH-sponsored project will focus on the mechanobiology of heterotypic cell-cell interaction in the context of microcirculation to address a well-defined problem of a significant and pressing clinical need. Combining microfluidics, bioengineering, and mechanobiology, the postdoctoral associate will pursue cutting-edge science and acquire a well-rounded interdisciplinary skillset. The selected candidate will be encouraged to pursue complementary new research directions and apply for independent grants and fellowships. They will also be mentored to develop scientific leadership and management skills.

Compensation for this position will be at or above NIH guidelines and include competitive benefits and a retirement package offered by Virginia Tech. The position is available immediately and is eligible for annual renewal contingent upon satisfactory progress and continued funding.

Eligibility and Qualifications:

Candidates must hold a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biophysics, or a related discipline by the start of the appointment. Additional eligibility criteria for the funding mechanism are listed here. The ideal candidate will have expertise in microfluidic device design, fabrication, and experimental methods and proficiency in standard cell- and molecular-biology techniques. Preference will be given to candidates with additional expertise in two or more of the following areas: (1) computational fluid dynamics (CFD), (2) mechanobiology, (3) bioprinting or micro-stereolithography, or (4) advanced microscopy. Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills, enthusiasm to conduct independent and collaborative interdisciplinary research, and the ability and willingness to mentor graduate and undergraduate students.

Application Process:

Interested candidates should assemble a single PDF document containing a (1) cover letter outlining how this position relates to the candidate’s experience, future goals, and research interests, (2) curriculum vitae with a complete list of publications, (3) name and contact information of three academic references, (4) up to two key manuscripts that have been published or accepted for publication. The application should be submitted to Professor Bahareh Behkam at behkam@vt.edu with “NIH Microfluidic Postdoctoral application” in the subject line.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until it is filled.

The MicroN BASE (Micro/Nano-scale Biotic/Abiotic Systems Engineering) Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department seeks a highly motivated, innovative, and detail-oriented Ph.D. student to participate in an exciting new research project starting Spring 2024/Fall 2024. This is a fully-funded PhD-level position.

Project Description: Mechanobiology is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on how forces and mechanical properties of cells and their microenvironment affect various biological and physiological processes (e.g., cell differentiation or disease development). This doctoral research opportunity focuses on the mechanobiology of cell-cell interaction in the context of microcirculation. Pericyte cells on the outer capillary walls and immune cells within the capillaries are subject to complex and dynamic mechanical effects. They experience solid contact stress, hydrodynamics pressure, and flow shear stress. This project aims to investigate the effect of physiologically relevant solid and fluid stresses on cell behaviors such as migration and force exertion in a capillary-on-a-chip model. 

To apply: Strong background knowledge in fluid mechanics is required. Prior experience in microfluidics, CFD, and 3D printing is preferred but not required. Prior knowledge/experience in cell biology is not required. Interested candidates should email their CV and an unofficial copy of their transcripts to Prof. Behkam at behkam@vt.edu. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Dr. Behkam.

The MicroN BASE (Micro/Nano-scale Biotic/Abiotic Systems Engineering) Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department seeks a highly motivated, dynamic, and detail-oriented Ph.D. student to participate in an exciting new research project starting Spring 2024/Fall 2024. This is a fully-funded PhD-level position.

Project Description: Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary field that uses engineering principles to redesign living systems and organisms for useful purposes. In particular, engineered bacterial sensors provide a unique opportunity as sensitive, accurate, sustainable, and cost-effective biosensing vectors for environmental monitoring, early disease detection, etc. They can even detect analytes that cannot be detected with other sensing technologies. The goal of this project is to address the current limitations of living biosensors, including long response time and lack of continuous monitoring capability. We aim to pioneer a transformative biosensing platform, wherein a Nano-augmented Bio-hybrid LIving Sensor System (Nano-BLISS) community of sentinels collaborate to rapidly detect chemical or biological threats and transduce a human-detectable readout.

To apply: Strong background knowledge in control theory, agent-based modeling and C++ programming is required. Experimental knowledge in mechatronics and microfabrication is preferred but not required. Prior knowledge/experience in biology is not required. Interested candidates should email their CV and an unofficial copy of their transcripts to Prof. Behkam at behkam@vt.edu. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Dr. Behkam.