Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cellular and Molecular Medicine

The laboratory combines human endothelial cell culture and perturbation systems with genomic discovery tools to dissect how genetic variation at CAD-associated loci operates through the vessel wall. Active research areas include: eQTL and splicing QTL (sQTL) mapping in human aortic and microvascular endothelial cells under physiological flow conditions. Single-cell RNA sequencing and chromatin accessibility profiling across genetically diverse donor populations. Colocalization of endothelial molecular QTLs with GWAS signals for CAD, blood pressure, and related vascular traits. Integration with population-scale biobanks including UK Biobank, MVP, and All of Us. Functional characterization of candidate effector genes emerging from colocalization, including surface proteins and splicing regulators operating through the hemodynamic flow-regulated transcriptional program. Primary Job Duties Include: Design and execute experiments using primary human endothelial cells hemodynamic shear stress conditions. Prepare and QC sequencing libraries including bulk RNA-seq, small RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and single-cell libraries. Perform genome-scale quantiative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses and genetic colocalization with genome wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics. Analyze single-cell and bulk genomics datasets using standard and custom bioinformatics pipelines. Contribute to grant writing, manuscript preparation, and presentations at national conferences. Mentor and support graduate students and other members of the laboratory. Knowledge, Skills Abilities: Ability operating shear stress devices (cone-and-plate and parallel-plate systems) in a laboratory setting. Proficiency in sequencing library preparation, including bulk RNA-seq, small RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and single-cell sequencing protocols (10x Genomics and sci-RNA-seq3). Knowledge of genetic colocalization methods using GWAS and molecular QTL summary statistics. Working knowledge of large-scale biobank resources, particularly the All of Us Research Program and phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) frameworks. Biological knowledge of vascular cell types, endothelial function, and the pathobiology of atherosclerosis.