Postdoctoral Research Associate in Functional and System Metabolism at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA (Fully Funded Research Opportunity)

Overview

A postdoctoral research opportunity is available in the laboratory of Dr. Jian Xu at the Department of Pathology and Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies (CELS), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA.

The laboratory is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to investigate how metabolic processes regulate stem cell development, blood disorders, and childhood cancers. The research combines advanced approaches including metabolomics, epigenomics, single-cell multiomics, genome editing, and computational biology to uncover disease-associated metabolic programs and therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Host Institution

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memphis, Tennessee, USA

St. Jude is one of the world’s leading pediatric cancer research institutions, focusing on understanding, treating, and curing childhood diseases through innovative biomedical research.

Research Focus

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary research team studying:

• Functional and system-level metabolism in development and disease

• Metabolic regulation of blood stem cells

• Mechanisms driving leukemia and childhood cancers

• Metabolic vulnerabilities for therapeutic targeting

• Integration of metabolomics, transcriptomics, and genomic datasets

Available Research Projects

Potential projects include:

1. Metabolic Vulnerabilities in Blood Disorders

• Identification and targeting of metabolic dependencies in genetic blood disorders

• Understanding metabolic mechanisms influencing therapy response

2. Cancer Metabolism and Biomarkers

• Characterizing metabolic dependencies in childhood cancers

• Discovering biomarkers associated with treatment response

3. Cancer Stem Cell Metabolism

• Developing high-throughput multi-omic approaches

• Identifying metabolic liabilities of cancer stem cells

4. Computational Multi-Omics Biology

• Integrating metabolomics, transcriptomics, and genomics datasets

• Developing computational strategies to understand disease-associated metabolic programs

Research Technologies and Platforms

The laboratory provides access to advanced research platforms including:

• High-throughput metabolomics

• LC-MS and GC-MS based metabolomics platforms

• Epigenomics approaches

• CRISPR-based genome editing

• Single-cell sequencing technologies (10x Genomics)

• Flow cytometry

• Bioinformatics and computational analysis pipelines

Candidate Requirements

Applicants should have:

• Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree

• Strong background in one or more of the following areas:

  • Metabolism research

  • Biochemistry

  • Molecular biology

  • Hematology/oncology

  • Related biomedical fields

Preferred experience:

• Metabolomics

• Computational biology

• Multi-omics analysis

• Hematology or cancer biology research

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Scientific productivity

• Independence and creativity

• Ability to work in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment

Why Join This Lab?

The Xu Laboratory has produced impactful discoveries in cancer metabolism and epigenetic regulation, including research published in high-impact journals such as:

• Cell

• Cancer Discovery

• Nature Genetics

• Science

The position offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of metabolism, cancer biology, stem cell biology, and advanced genomic technologies.

Position Details

Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Field: Functional and System Metabolism
Location: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Employment Type: Full-time

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Short summary of research interests and previous research experience

• Contact information for three references

Applications should be sent to:

Dr. Jian Xu, Ph.D.
Member, St. Jude Faculty
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Email: [email protected]

Application Tips

Applicants interested in this position should highlight:

• Experience in cancer biology, metabolism, or molecular mechanisms of disease

• Publications and research productivity

• Skills in omics technologies or computational analysis

• How their previous research aligns with metabolic regulation and cancer research