Postdoctoral Fellow, Tissue Models

Biohub is leading the new era of AI-powered biology to cure or prevent disease through its 501c3 medical research organization, with the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

The Team

The Biohub in Chicago is an independent nonprofit research institute that brings together three powerhouse universities - Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - into a single collaborative technology and discovery engine. Biohub itself supports some of the brightest, boldest engineers, data scientists, and biomedical researchers to make breakthroughs in medicine and develop new technologies, frequently in collaboration with our partner universities. We are guided by our values of scholarly excellence; disruptive innovation; hands-on engineering/hacking/building; partnership and collaboration; open communication and respect; inclusiveness; and opportunity for all.

Our Vision

• We pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• We enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• The technologies developed at Biohub facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

Diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives are at the heart of Biohub and enable disruptive innovation and scholarly excellence. We are committed to cultivating an organization where all colleagues feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution.

The Opportunity

The Tissue Models team is dedicated to developing advanced in vitro systems that provide human-relevant platforms for studying inflammation. By creating comprehensive and physiologically relevant models, we aim to transform how inflammatory diseases are studied.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated scientist with a strong background in gastrointestinal disease, immunology, and organoid development. The ideal candidate will also have experience with bioprinting, extracellular matrix biology, and advanced microscopy techniques. This role will be highly collaborative, engaging in projects with engineering, AI, and proteomics teams in the Chicago Biohub as well as with investigators at our partner universities.

What You'll Do

• Cultivate advanced human 3-dimensional models of inflammatory gastrointestinal disease, including Celiac, Crohn’s, and Ulcerative Colitis.
• Working closely with engineering groups, develop a model system of disease that is compatible with in-house sampling and sensing platforms.
• Work collaboratively across platforms throughout the biohub to develop novel instrumented tissue models for measuring and mapping inflammation.
• Publish and disseminate impactful findings and the products of your research as preprints (medRxiv, bioRxiv), in peer-reviewed journals, and/or software repositories (e.g. GitHub).
• Regularly present findings to the team, university partners, and collaborators.
• Contribute to scientific publications and presentations at conferences.

What You'll Bring

Essential -

• PhD in Cell Biology, Immunology, or closely related
• Expertise in gastrointestinal biology and patterns of inflammation in GI disease
• Demonstrated leadership, track record of innovation, and ability to work collaboratively across disciplines
• > 4 years cell culture experience
• Hands-on experience with 3D culture model development
• Familiarity with standard molecular biology techniques
• Microscopy experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice to have - 

• Experience with 3D bioprinting and extracellular matrix biology
• Multiphoton microscopy expertise
• Microfluidic device experience
• Flow Cytometry/FACS proficiency
• Supervisory or mentoring experience

Compensation

The Chicago, IL base pay for a new hire in this role is $84,150.  

Benefits for the Whole You 

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible. 

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice. 
• Funding for select family-forming benefits. 
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-Onsite