Postdoctoral Researcher/Research Associate for Interdisciplinary and Translational Research that Integrates Biology, Pharmacology, Statistics, and Computational Modeling to Facilitate Development of More Efficacious Drug Therapies for Brain Cancer
Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
Applications are invited for a Research Associate/Postdoctoral Researcher position available at Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University (Detroit, MI, USA). This is a non-tenure track position, supported by a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded R01 grant for three years. The goal is to help the postdoctoral researcher to grow and transit into an independent principal investigator.
Applications are strongly encouraged for candidates with strong statistics and computational modeling background who are interested in career development opportunities in the interdisciplinary and translational research that integrates biology, pharmacology, biostatistics, and computational modeling to facilitate development of more effective drug therapies for brain cancer.
The postdoctoral researcher will be mentored jointly by Dr. Jing Li (Professor of Oncology and Director of Pharmacology and Metabolomics Core at Karmanos Cancer Institute) and Dr. Seongho Kim (Professor of Oncology and Director of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core at Karmanos Cancer Institute).
The postdoctoral researcher will work on an NCI-funded R01 project with the overall goal to develop novel mechanistic, physiologically based pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PBPK/PD) models for prediction of drug disposition and action in the central nervous system (CNS) in brain cancer patients. Insufficient penetration of potentially effective chemotherapeutic agents across the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a huge hurdle to successful treatment of brain cancer. Mechanistic understanding and early prediction of drug penetration into the human CNS is of paramount importance to rational drug development and treatment for brain cancer. Given the fact that drug disposition and action in the human CNS is determined by not only drug properties but also biological system characteristics, preclinical-to-clinical translation of CNS PK/PD is complicated by biological system differences. Hence, the development of innovative approaches is imperative. The in vitro-in vivo extrapolation-PBPK/PD model offers a unique platform that allows simultaneous incorporation of drug- and system-specific parameters into a PK/PD model and enables a priori prediction of in vivo PK/PD processes based on mechanistic scaling of in vitro data (e.g., in vitro enzyme and transporter kinetics, and receptor binding parameters). Our research has been focused on the development of innovative computational models for mechanistic prediction of disposition and action (i.e., PK/PD) of anticancer drugs in the CNS in brain cancer patients. The obtained quantitative information is of enormous value to rational development and optimal use of drug therapies for more efficacious treatment of brain cancer.
A PhD in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related discipline is required. Expertise in R or Matlab is preferred. Knowledge of biology, medicine, or pharmacology is an advantage, though not a requirement. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race.
Interested candidates should apply by sending the application letter and curriculum vita to Dr. Jing Li (lijing@wayne.edu). Applications will be considered until the position is filled. The intended start date is October 1. 2023. An earlier or later start date may be considered. Questions should be directed to Dr. Jing Li.