A postdoctoral position at Washington University in St. Louis is available for a motivated individual interested in host-virus interactions in both C. elegans and mammalian hosts. The overall focus of the project is to use the C. elegans model to identify evolutionarily conserved host factors required for virus infection or the host antiviral response. This builds upon our previous discovery of Orsay virus, the first and to date only virus that naturally infects C. elegans (Felix et al, PLoS Biology 2011). By forward and reverse genetic screening, we have identified multiple genes required for Orsay infection (Jiang et al, mBio 2017). The human orthologs of these genes function similarly in cell culture against pathogenic viruses such as polio. The position will entail further screening and detailed characterization in both C. elegans and mammalian contexts, providing an ideal opportunity to acquire broad skills.
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology or related field required.
Please send cover letter, CV and 3 reference letters to Dr. David Wang (davewang@wustl.edu).