Postdoctoral Fellow: Immune Cell Engineering and Genetic Engineering

About this position

Postdoctoral Fellow: Immune Cell Engineering and Genetic Engineering

• The Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the
• University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine is seeking a
• highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to design and engineer immune
• cells, particularly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, with
• novel functionalities, and to develop methods for monitoring
• engineered cell behavior, persistence, and biodistribution in real
• time to improve their therapeutic application in cancer.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and engineer immune cells, including CAR-T and other adoptive cell therapies, with novel synthetic functionalities and reporter systems.
• Build and validate genetic circuits, gene-edited lines, and viral/non-viral delivery strategies.
• Conduct in vitro and in vivo studies to evaluate immune cell efficacy, persistence, and safety.
• Work with the imaging team to track engineered cells in vivo using PET, SPECT, and bioluminescence reporter platforms.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of immunologists, bioengineers, computational scientists, and clinicians.
• Present findings at internal meetings and scientific conferences and prepare manuscripts for highimpact journals.
• Mentor junior researchers and contribute to a collaborative lab environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in Immunology, Bioengineering, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related field.
• Strong hands-on experience in cell engineering, particularly CAR-T cells or other immune cell therapies.
• Proficiency in molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques, including CRISPR-based gene editing, cloning and synthetic construct design, lentiviral/retroviral vector production, and multiparametric flow cytometry.
• Experience with animal models and/or immunotherapy studies.
• Experience in molecular imaging or reporter gene systems is a plus.
• Ability to work independently and within a collaborative team; strong communication and writing skills.

• Application: Interested candidates should send their CV, a cover
• letter outlining their research experience, interest in this position
• and contact information for three references to Dr. Nalinikanth
• Kotagiri at NKotagiri@som.umaryland.edu

Desired start date: Immediately