Post Doctoral Scholar in Portland, Oregon at Oregon Health & Science University

Post Doctoral Scholar

US-OR-Portland

Requisition ID: 2026-40217
Position Category: Postdoctoral
Job Type: Postdoctoral
Posting Department: Dermatology
Posting FTE: 1.00
HR Mission: School of Medicine
Drug Testable: No

Department Overview

OHSU Dermatology is a full-service academic department serving the Pacific Northwest and global dermatology community in patient care, education, and research. Formally established in 1922, OHSU is one of the earliest established Dermatology-specific departments nationwide.

OUR VISION: OHSU's Department of Dermatology is a pioneering leader, dedicated to excellence in alleviating diseases of the skin and promoting health. OUR MISSION: We advance the science and practice of dermatology through excellence and innovation in patient care, education, and discovery.

The OHSU Dermatology Research Division merges basic, clinical and translational research in epithelial cell cancers and dermatologic diseases. Our basic and clinician-scientists are committed to innovative research on cancer and inflammation of skin with an impact on understanding causes and improving future treatment of muco-cutaneous diseases and providing more effective patient care.

The person who fills this position will report to Noah Hornick, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, in investigating methods for surveillance of melanoma recurrence / metastasis, as well as mechanisms of inflammation in the skin during adverse reactions to cancer immunotherapy. Responsibilities will include conducting experimentation that leverages techniques including the processing of human tissue samples (skin, tumor, and blood) in order to extract single cells, nuclei, DNA, RNA, and protein; histologic work including the chromogenic and fluorescent labeling and imaging of slides, preparation of spatial, single-cell, and bulk RNA libraries for sequencing, cell culture, and flow cytometry. The Research Associate will also be responsible for contributing to documentation and data analysis related to this experimentation, as well as to the preparation of figures for publication.

Function/Duties of Position

• Supports basic day-to-day functions of the lab, including assisting with ordering supplies. Oversees and assists with training of new or temporary students and other personnel. Attends all laboratory research and division/department meetings.
• Independently sets up and carries out cell culture experiments with cell lines and primary human skin cells. Analyzes results using techniques listed in position summary. Independently prepares, labels, and images slides using stains, immunolabeling, and in situ hybridization with both chromogens and fluorophores. Processes human blood and tissue to produce single-cell suspensions, single-nucleus suspensions, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, serum, and plasma. Prepares cDNA libraries for sequencing from fixed and frozen tissue through 10X Genomics protocols: Visium, Chromium, Chromium Flex, and Epi Multiome. Prepares and labels single-cell suspensions from patient samples and cultured cells, performs flow cytometry analysis.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in related field (molecular, cell biology, or biochemistry)

• Will vary depending on years of postdoctoral training completed

• Fluency with relevant mathematics / basic statistics, experience with MS Excel. Biochemistry and molecular biology research techniques; tissue culture skill

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience or training in bioinformatics helpful
• Prior imaging or histology experience, single-cell transcriptome analysis experience, R programming, and python programming experience are helpful.
• Knowledge of immunology, dermatology, or sex hormone biology

Additional Details

The schedule will be full-time (40 hours per week), though the hours can be flexible on mutual agreement and may include evening and weekend work as needed depending on experimental timing demands. The location will be primarily in the dermatology laboratory and associated equipment rooms in CHH1. Specialized experiments will be conducted in core facilities. Exposure as part of this position may include human tissues and fluids.