Postdoctoral Associate

School of Medicine Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Postdoctoral Associate

Department of Neurosurgery | Duke University School of Medicine

Be You.

The Department of Neurosurgery at Duke University School of Medicine is seeking a Postdoctoral Associate to join a multidisciplinary translational neuro-oncology research program focused on immunotherapy, biomarker discovery, and spatial biology. In this role, you will help advance innovative research embedded within investigator-initiated clinical trials for glioblastoma and other primary brain tumors while developing your own mentored research portfolio.

You will work alongside leading clinicians, scientists, surgeons, pathologists, and computational researchers to translate laboratory discoveries into meaningful advances for patients with brain tumors. This position offers extensive opportunities to publish, present at scientific meetings, contribute to grant applications, and build an independent research career in cancer immunology and neuro-oncology.

Minimum Requirements

• PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree in immunology, cancer biology, neuroscience, molecular biology, bioengineering, computational biology, or a related discipline.
• Strong publication record demonstrating scientific productivity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary research teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with molecular biology, immunology, genomics, or computational analysis of high-dimensional datasets.
• Experience with one or more of the following:
• Flow cytometry
• Single-cell sequencing
• Spatial transcriptomics
• Multiplex imaging
• Bioinformatics
• R or Python programming
• Tissue culture techniques
• Animal models
• Interest in translational cancer research, immunotherapy, and neuro-oncology.

Other Requirements

• Ability to work with patient-derived biospecimens and associated clinical datasets.
• Commitment to maintaining high standards of research integrity, reproducibility, regulatory compliance, and laboratory safety.

This position is onsite. The work is performed on-site at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Be Bold.

As a Postdoctoral Associate, you will:

• Lead translational research projects supporting early-phase clinical trials in glioblastoma and other primary brain tumors.
• Design, perform, and interpret laboratory experiments using patient-derived blood and tumor specimens.
• Analyze and integrate genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, spatial, radiographic, and clinical outcome datasets to identify biomarkers and mechanisms of therapeutic response.
• Prepare manuscripts, abstracts, grant applications, scientific presentations, and progress reports.
• Mentor students and trainees while contributing to laboratory operations, protocol development, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.

Choose Duke.

Duke Neurosurgery is home to a nationally recognized research enterprise dedicated to advancing therapies for patients with neurological disease. As part of a collaborative team spanning neurosurgery, medical oncology, immunology, biomedical engineering, and data science, you will contribute to high-impact translational studies integrated within innovative clinical trials.

This position is fully grant funded and offers exceptional opportunities for career development, scientific discovery, publication in leading journals, and presentation at national and international conferences. Duke provides an inclusive and collaborative environment committed to excellence in research, education, and patient care. Learn more about Duke University's competitive benefits package.

Research Areas Include

• Immune mechanisms of response and resistance to glioblastoma immunotherapy
• Correlative science from investigator-initiated clinical trials
• Single-cell and spatial characterization of the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment
• Development of predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy response
• Neoantigen and vaccine immunology
• T-cell biology, immune repertoire analysis, and functional immune profiling
• Integration of multimodal clinical trial datasets using computational and bioinformatic approaches

Screening of Applications (select one of the options below.)

• Screening continues until position is filled. (Note: Search committee will screen applications as they come in and must continue screening ALL applications until position is filled, regardless of where the search committee is at in the review process.) 

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions:

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.