Postdoctoral Fellow – Respiratory & Immunology, Early Drug Discovery Research

Position: Postdoctoral Fellow – Respiratory & Immunology, Early Drug Discovery Research

Location: Gaithersburg, US

Department: Biopharmaceuticals

Our Postdoc Programme is for self-motivated individuals looking to take on interesting, high impact projects in a collaborative, challenging and reputable environment. Do you have expertise in, and passion for, respiratory disease understanding? Would you like to apply your knowledge to impact drug discovery projects in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? Then join the Respiratory & Immunology Group at AstraZeneca and unlock the power of what science can do.

Therapeutic Area Description:

With five decades of experience, we are an established leader in respiratory care and a disruptor in immunology. We are committed to transforming care for some of the most debilitating and chronic respiratory and immune-mediated diseases. Our portfolio of inhaled and biologic medicines, and our pipeline for the future, seek to address the challenges and vast unmet medical needs patients face today. By following the science, we are focused on sustainably addressing tough and complex unsolved problems. Our approach involves targeting the underlying biology, developing effective new drug modalities and combinations and applying a precision medicine approach from the start of discovering medicines, all while driving earlier detection, diagnosis and intervention.

Academic Supervisor:

Ohio State University

Role Summary:

We are seeking a candidate with a Ph.D and/or, M.D./Ph.D degree who has a broad understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying respiratory diseases, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. This candidate would be expected to demonstrate a passion for innovative scientific research leading to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics.

What is the purpose of this position?

Human lung has a complex architecture, where structural cells interact continuously with immune cells that infiltrate into the pulmonary tissue. However, most of the studies on the deleterious effects of smoke and pollutant exposures have been done in epithelial cells, and the contribution of immune cells like macrophages or supporting mesenchymal to epithelial injury in COPD has been neglected. The main focus of this position is understanding the role of macrophages in injury and repair processes in the lung which may inspire new clinical strategies for promoting regeneration from remaining endogenous stem cells in damaged lungs in COPD. You’ll be well-supported by a passionate and highly experienced team of industry-leading experts within AstraZeneca, along with support from academic leaders in the field of respiratory and immunology research.

What’s Involved in the Role?

Understanding the role of Macrophages in COPD disease.

The day-to-day life of our postdoctoral fellow will be dynamic and intellectually stimulating. You’ll typically spend a significant portion of your time in the lab, conducting experiments related to their projects. These projects are aligned with AstraZeneca's research focus areas and may involve investigating potential drug candidates and exploring new therapeutic targets.

You will collaborate with fellow scientists, and cross-functional teams within the department.

These collaborations offer opportunities for knowledge-sharing, idea brainstorming, and gaining insights from experienced professionals, including leading authorities in precision medicine and bioinformaticians.

Furthermore, the postdoc will be expected to attend regional and national conferences and publish in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and this experience will further boost the candidate's academic and professional profile.

Collaborations:

You will collaborate with fellow scientists, and cross-functional teams within the department.

These collaborations offer opportunities for knowledge-sharing, idea brainstorming, and gaining insights from experienced professionals, including leading authorities in precision medicine and bioinformaticians.

In collaboration with Dr. Mauricio Rojas, we have previously investigated COPD heterogeneity. You will continue to collaborate with his team at Ohio State University. Dr. Rojas is a pioneer in lung research and this collaboration offers you a great opportunity to learn more about the mechanism of lung repair and critical factors involved in the vulnerability to lung diseases.

Essential Qualifications / Education:

• A PhD or equivalent, in Immunology, or Molecular Biology in research background

• A maximum of 4 years of postdoctoral experience.

• Effective implementation of standard molecular biology lab assays and in vitro cell culture to answer research questions.

• Extensive knowledge of immunology and lung biology

• Publication record of novel and impactful research

DesirableSkills, Experience & Behaviours:

• Experience with complex dataset analysis and exploration.

• Experience with human primary cell cultures and 3D tissue models.

• Experience with macrophage and neutrophil culture.

• Great enthusiasm for novel exploratory research

Personal Characteristics & Behaviours:

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.

• Proficient in problem-solving and the design of experiments.

• Collaborate and work well with others.

Where Can I Find Out More?:

AstraZeneca – Respiratory & Immunology: https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-therapy-areas/respiratory-and-immunology.html

Mauricio Rojas: https://medicine.osu.edu/find-faculty/clinical/internal-medicine/mauricio-rojas-md

AZ’s Postdoc Programme: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/postdocs-astrazeneca

Life at AstraZeneca: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/life-at-astrazeneca

Req Open Date: Apr 10, 2025

Req Close Date: May 11, 2025

Stages of interview: Applicants are reviewed for fit/skills and invited to each step. You may not be invited to each step. (1) One-way video interview and (2)

Virtual Interview Panel with presentation.

To find out more go to: astrazeneca.com and https://careers.astrazeneca.com/bpd

We anticipate a high volume of applicants, so do not delay, applying today!

Compensation for this role, depending on years of research experience, is a minimum of US$96,000 up to Max of US$104,000 + short-term incentive. Some relocation supplements depend on distance and location at the employer's discretion.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.