What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Fellow--Karim Lab position at The University of Southern Mississippi?
Special Instructions to Applicants
Review of applications will begin immediately after April 11, 2025. Applicants should submit a cover letter detailing their qualifications and relevant experience, a CV, and contact information for 3 professional references. For inquiries about the position, please contact Dr. Shahid Karim at Shahid.Karim@usm.edu.
Job Summary
A Postdoctoral Fellow position is available in the Laboratory of Dr. Shahid Karim in the School of BEES at the University of Southern Mississippi. The successful candidate will participate in NIH-funded projects studying the arthropod vector-transmitted pathogen Rickettsia parkeri. The project includes Rickettsia parkeri interactions with tick hemocytes. Highly motivated, hard-working, and technically skilled applicants with relevant experience are welcome to apply. This is a restricted position with no set end date, and continued employment depends on project need, funding availability, and performance.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
- Work closely with PI and the research team to plan, design, and execute scientific research.
- Perform experiments using appropriate cellular and arthropod vectors to study the vector-host interactions.
- Maintain uninfected and Rickettsia parkeri-infected ticks.
- Assess tick hemocyte interactions with intracellular R. parkeri using RNA interference.
- Maintain detailed laboratory notebook and data records. Writing manuscripts, grant, and abstracts. Write and edit drafts of manuscripts for publication. Write/contribute data for extramural grant proposals. Write abstracts of research and present them at scientific conferences.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Ph.D. in Biology or closely related field or DVM/PhD. Experience in working with ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Strong background in vector biology, computational biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology. Candidates are expected to be very motivated for career development, committed to driving federally funded high-impact and high-quality research, and committed to aggressively pursuing postdoctoral grants. Ability to work independently. Excellent written and communication skills. Must have demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in past experiences or a commitment to do so as a Postdoctoral fellow at USM.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.
- Ability to process information logically.
- Skill in managing one’s own time.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working with Amblyomma ticks and cultivating Rickettsia parkeri in tick cell culture.
Gene knockdown in tick vectors and scRNA seq analysis.
Working knowledge of hemocyte biology, transcriptomic analysis at single-cell resolution.
Experience using the murine model to study tick-borne rickettsiosis.
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 146 universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education's "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very high research activity" designation, and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and large event venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 37 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $600 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of more than 14,000, representing 71 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 37 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 27 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit www.usm.edu.
As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer/Americans with Disabilities Act institution, The University of Southern Mississippi encourages minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities to apply.
