News announcement

Position 1

Disciplinary Specialties of Research 
• Cell Signaling
• Pharmacology
• G proteins and G protein coupled receptors
• Systems Biology

Description of the Position 
The Kufareva lab (https://kufareva.ucsd.edu/) at the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy (https://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/) is looking for a postdoctoral scholar interested in pursuing a career at the interface between experimental and computational biomedical sciences. This scholar will lead a project on understanding and modeling the intracellular trafficking and interactome of G proteins, the key class of mammalian signal transducers, ultimately contributing to the design of an “in silico cell”.

Heterotrimeric G proteins are molecular switches that control eukaryotic signal transduction. In mammalian cell migration – a key process in immunity, inflammation, and development, – trimeric G proteins of the cAMP-inhibitory (Gi) family drive the movement of cells by transducing signals downstream of chemotactic G protein-coupled receptors such as the chemokine receptor CXCR4. The goal of this project is to reveal the spatiotemporally resolved architecture of Gi interactome, and to integrate findings into a cohesive model of Gi trafficking and regulation in migratory signaling.

The scholar will master and apply mammalian cell signaling assays, proximity biotinylation coupled to mass spectrometry, fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, and other techniques to tackle the challenges of cell signaling. The results will be analyzed in silico using methods of network biology, statistical modeling, big-data analyses, and machine learning. In addition to performing bench and computational experiments, the postdoctoral scholar is expected to make regular presentations at internal and extended group meetings, and to write papers under the guidance of the mentor. They will work with the mentor to secure fellowships, and eventually apply for career awards on the way to gaining scientific independence.

The University of California employs about 5,963 postdoctoral scholars (approx. 1,200 at UCSD) who contribute to the academic community by enhancing the research and education programs of the university. The postdoctoral experience emphasizes scholarship and continued research training. UC’s postdoctoral scholars bring expertise and creativity that enrich the research environment for all members of the UC community, including graduate and undergraduate students. Appointment durations vary depending on the length of the research project and availability of funding. Total duration of an individual’s postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at other institutions. The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is the exclusive representative of the postdoctoral scholars.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

Required Qualifications 
• PhD in Biological Sciences or related, and an interest in learning and applying computational approaches to biomedical problems. Alternatively, PhD in Computer/Data Science or a related field, and an interest in learning cell biology and pharmacology.
• Commitment to quality, rigor, transparency, and reproducibility in scientific research.
• Familiarity with basic lab techniques and instrumentation
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of molecular cloning 
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and transfection
• Basic understanding of mammalian signal transduction 
• First author publications from prior training period.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. 
• Good writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate in person, over videoconferencing platforms, and over email.

Preferred Qualification
• Experience with pharmacological assays 
• Basic familiarity with the process of computer scripting and a scripting language such as R or Python. 
• Knowledge of an image processing software such as ImageJ 
• Familiarity with pharmacological concentration response curves and the non-linear regression software such as GraphPad Prism
Applicants who have their own funding (e.g. in the form of a fellowship or similar) are welcome and should elaborate in their cover letter.

Terms of Service 
The initial appointment is for one year, with optional subsequent reappointments based on performance. Total term of postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at other institutions.

Compensation 
Commensurate with qualifications and years of experience as a postdoc; based on published University of California pay scales.

Job Location

San Diego, CA.

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) is located on the beautiful La Jolla campus of the University of California San Diego. UCSD and SSPPS provide a first-class scientific environment. UCSD has active groups in molecular cell biology, immunology, signal transduction, membrane trafficking, pharmacology, systems biology, computational chemistry, biological structure, and many more, and is the home of one of the country’s main supercomputer centers. The researchers are granted access to core and shared state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, computing resources, institutional subscriptions to most scientific journals, publications and software, and the possibility to attend a wide variety of scientific meetings and seminars, many of which are held on campus. Additional facilities and expertise are available from the neighboring institutions such as MooresCancer Center, La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, the Scripps Research Institute, and others: in other words, La Jolla is home to one of the highest concentrations of biomedical talent in the world. 

Document requirements
• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover Letter

Reference requirements
• Three professional references (contact info only), including the current or previous academic supervisor.

Applications must be submitted directly to Dr. Irina Kufareva at ikufareva@health.ucsd.edu.

Position 2

Disciplinary Specialties of Research 
• Computational Systems Biology
• Network Biology
• Cell Signaling
• Systems Pharmacology

Description of the Position 
The Kufareva lab (https://kufareva.ucsd.edu/) at the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy (https://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/) is looking for a postdoctoral scholar interested in pursuing a career at the interface between computational and experimental biomedical sciences. This scholar will lead a project on understanding and modeling the intracellular signal transduction downstream of chemokine receptors, ultimately contributing to the design of an “in silico cell”.

Chemokines are small secreted proteins that guide the movement of immune and other cells in the human body, by binding and activating specific G protein-coupled receptors on the surface of these cells. The dysregulation of the receptor-chemokine system leads to abnormal cell migration and may lead to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, cancer metastasis, tumor immunosuppression, and severe manifestations of responses to infections such as COVID-19. However, the complex network of intracellular events that translates chemokine binding into cell migration, survival, or proliferation is very poorly understood. Guided by the philosophy of “understanding-by-building”, the scholar will build computational data-driven predictive models of intracellular signal transduction downstream of chemokine receptors.

The scholar will master and apply in silico approaches such as network biology, statistical modeling, big-data analyses, and machine learning to tackle the challenges of cell signaling. This work involves a tight collaboration with experimentalists working in the field of GPCR signaling, structural biology, and pharmacology. In addition to performing computational experiments, the postdoctoral scholar is expected to make regular presentations at internal and extended group meetings, and to write papers under the guidance of the mentor. They will work with the mentor to secure fellowships, and eventually apply for career awards on the way to gaining scientific independence.

The University of California employs about 5,963 postdoctoral scholars (approx. 1,200 at UCSD) who contribute to the academic community by enhancing the research and education programs of the university. The postdoctoral experience emphasizes scholarship and continued research training. UC’s postdoctoral scholars bring expertise and creativity that enrich the research environment for all members of the UC community, including graduate and undergraduate students. Appointment durations vary depending on the length of the research project and availability of funding. Total duration of an individual’s postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at other institutions. The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is the exclusive representative of the postdoctoral scholars.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

Required Qualifications 
• PhD in Biological Sciences or related, and an interest in learning and applying computational approaches to biomedical problems. Alternatively, PhD in Computer/Data Science or a related field, and an interest in learning cell biology and pharmacology.
• Commitment to quality, rigor, transparency, and reproducibility in scientific research.
• Basic familiarity with the process of computer scripting and a scripting language such as R or Python. 
• First author publications from prior training period.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. 
• Good writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate in person, over videoconferencing platforms, and over email.

Preferred Qualification
• Familiarity with a command line computer interface 
• Familiarity with network and systems modeling software (e.g. MATLAB, BoolNet, BioNetGen, Vensim, AnyLogic, etc.)
• Knowledge of an image processing software such as ImageJ 
• Familiarity with pharmacological concentration response curves and the non-linear regression software such as GraphPad Prism
• Familiarity with basic lab techniques and instrumentation
• Basic understanding of mammalian signal transduction 
• Experience with pharmacological assays 
• Theoretical and/or practical knowledge of molecular cloning 
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and transfection
Applicants who have their own funding (e.g. in the form of a fellowship or similar) are welcome and should elaborate in their cover letter.

Terms of Service 
The initial appointment is for one year, with optional subsequent reappointments based on performance. Total term of postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at other institutions.

Compensation 
Commensurate with qualifications and years of experience as a postdoc; based on published University of California pay scales.

Job Location

San Diego, CA.

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) is located on the beautiful La Jolla campus of the University of California San Diego. UCSD and SSPPS provide a first-class scientific environment. UCSD has active groups in molecular cell biology, immunology, signal transduction, membrane trafficking, pharmacology, systems biology, computational chemistry, biological structure, and many more, and is the home of one of the country’s main supercomputer centers. The researchers are granted access to core and shared state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, computing resources, institutional subscriptions to most scientific journals, publications and software, and the possibility to attend a wide variety of scientific meetings and seminars, many of which are held on campus. Additional facilities and expertise are available from the neighboring institutions such as MooresCancer Center, La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, the Scripps Research Institute, and others: in other words, La Jolla is home to one of the highest concentrations of biomedical talent in the world.

Document requirements
• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover Letter

Reference requirements
• Three professional references (contact info only), including the current or previous academic supervisor.

Applications must be submitted directly to Dr. Irina Kufareva at ikufareva@health.ucsd.edu.