Position Description:

The Johnston lab (https://www.mcw.edu/departments/ent-Ear-Nose-Throat/people/nikki-johnston-phd) of the Department of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin welcomes applications for a postdoctoral fellow interested in translational research of pepsin biology in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Over 15 years at MCW, our team has produced foundational work identifying pepsin as a major source of inflammatory and carcinogenic damage during reflux which is unaddressed by current therapeutic approaches. Given the large, unmet clinical need, our recent work has focused on novel pepsin-targeting strategies for reflux disease. The postdoctoral appointee has the unique opportunity to join our team at an exciting moment of technological development for diagnosis and treatment of LPR. Future projects would leverage our expertise in molecular pathophysiology of reflux disease, experience in developing novel solutions to clinical problems, and our international network of industry and academic, clinical and scientific partners to further solutions for patients suffering from LPR.

Our lab primarily utilizes patient specimens and human cell culture in vitro models to investigate peptic damage and its interventions. A variety of cellular and molecular biology approaches are employed by the lab, including: Western blot, ELISA, qPCR, microscopic imaging, and lentiviral-based genetic manipulation techniques. The team collaborates extensively with specialists in transcriptomics, animal models of reflux, chemistry, engineering, and drug development. In addition to bench research, the candidate will participate in multidisciplinary collaborations across the globe with our established network of clinical specialists to develop congruent research foci.

It is expected that postdocs at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:

• Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of his/her own choosing.
• Be supervised by at least one senior scholar who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
• Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates equally the postdoc's career and training goals and the mentor's research goals.
• Pursue basic, clinical, or translational projects so long as effort is focused primarily on research.
• Publish results of the postdoc's research and scholarship during their appointment.
• The postdoctoral appointment is temporary by nature, the aggregate amount of time spent as a postdoc is recommended to not exceed five years (not including family medical leave or maternity/paternity leave).
• As postdocs are important members of the host institution's community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status should be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.

Preferred Schedule:
M-F 8:00am - 4:30pm

Position Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

Appropriate experience may be substituted for education on an equivalent basis

• PhD in a scientific field or MD
• No experience required

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

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