Postdoctoral Fellow (flavivirus in pregnant pigs)

VIDO-InterVac is seeking to appoint a highly motivated and hardworking Postdoctoral Fellow to join Dr. Karniychuk’s lab at VIDO-InterVac, University of Saskatchewan. The successful candidate will use the porcine pregnancy model, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, molecular virology, cell biology, and immunology to study Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) evolution and immunopathology in a natural host during pregnancy.

Company

VIDO-InterVac is a preeminent research institute with its primary focus on microbial pathogenesis, vaccine development, and mitigation strategies against both human and animal pathogens. VIDO-InterVac currently has over 100 personnel and state-of-the-art facilities, including the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), one of the most advanced containment level 3 facilities in the world consisting of both laboratories and animal isolation suites. VIDO-InterVac scientists work with important human (Influenza, MERS, JEV, Zika virus, and SARS-CoV-2) and animal viruses (PRRSV, PEDV, PCV2/3, and African swine fever virus); a candidate will have a unique opportunity to learn and contribute to multidisciplinary research on emerging and re-emerging pathogens.

Position

Japanese encephalitis virus infection in pregnant pigs is an excellent model to study flavivirus evolution and immunopathology during pregnancy. First, JEV causes natural transplacental and fetal infection in pigs. Second, JEV infection in pigs has epidemiological significance: domestic pigs are the primary amplifying hosts for JEV that maintain virus existence and transmission from mosquitoes to humans. Finally, JEV can cause transplacental infection in humans, and infection in pregnant pigs can be used as a model.

Our team is uniquely positioned to study JEV in the natural amplifying host during pregnancy. We have strong expertise in pig pregnancy models, immunopathology (PLoS Pathog. 2019; Emerg Microbes Infect. 2019), flavivirus infections, NGS, and bioinformatics (Front Immunol. 2020; Viruses. 2020; EBioMedicine. 2017).

Financial Support: The position is initially funded for one year and can be extended.

Research Advisor: Uladzimir Karniychuk.

Required Skills

A candidate must hold a Ph.D. in virology, molecular biology, or another related discipline. Recent Ph.D. graduates are particularly encouraged to apply. Well-developed oral and written communication skills are essential. An ideal candidate will have a strong background in classical and molecular virology and immunology techniques. Experience working with next-generation sequencing, animals, and at biocontainment level-3 conditions is a plus but not essential.

The candidate must be highly motivated, creative, and diligent. The candidate will be required to work under high-security biocontainment level-3 conditions after extensive training. The successful candidate will be required to undergo and clear a reliability status screening assessment, background check, and a criminal record check.

How to apply

Visit the VIDO-InterVac jobs website for more information.