Post Doctoral Fellow A

Job Description

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), Center for Vaccine
Development and Global Health (CVD) brings together more than four decades of innovative and life-saving research on vaccines and infectious diseases. http:// www.medschool.umaryland.edu/cvd/ .

The malaria research laboratory of Prof. Stefan H. I. Kappe at the
Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), University of Maryland School of Medicine, is recruiting a highly motivated
Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate the immune mechanisms of protection against malaria infection mediated by vaccination.

The Kappe laboratory has pioneered the development of genetically attenuated malaria parasites (GAPs) and whole-sporozoite malaria vaccines designed to induce durable protective immunity against
Plasmodium infection. Our research combines cutting-edge immunology, parasite biology, and translational vaccine development to understand how liver-stage malaria parasites interact with the host immune system, identify protective immune mechanisms and novel antigen targets, and define immune correlates of protection.
Ongoing projects span basic immunology, systems biology, controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies, and clinical malaria vaccine development.

This position offers an exceptional opportunity to join a collaborative, multidisciplinary research program dedicated to advancing next-generation malaria vaccines while providing outstanding scientific mentorship and career development.

Research Areas

• Research projects may include:
• Vaccine-induced CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T-cell immunity
• Innate immune regulation of adaptive responses
• Immune correlates of protection against malaria
• Identification of protective malaria antigens
• Regulatory T-cell and inflammatory responses during

infection

• Systems immunology and high-dimensional immune profiling
• Single-cell transcriptomics and T-cell receptor (TCR)

repertoire analysis

• Translational studies supporting human malaria vaccine clinical

trials

Responsibilities

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute independent and collaborative

research projects investigating immune mechanisms underlying malaria infection and vaccine-induced protection.

• Perform advanced immunological experiments, including

multiparameter flow cytometry, cell sorting, ELISA, ELISpot, intracellular cytokine staining, immune cell culture, cytotoxicity assays, and other functional immune assays.

• Apply and interpret high-dimensional immune profiling

approaches, including spectral flow cytometry, mass cytometry
(CyTOF), single-cell RNA sequencing, and T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analyses.

• Analyze complex immunological datasets using FlowJo, R,

RStudio, and other statistical or bioinformatics tools to identify immune correlates of protection and mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity.

• Investigate host-parasite interactions during liver-stage

malaria infection using in vitro and in vivo experimental models.

• Contribute to studies evaluating immune responses induced by

genetically attenuated parasite (GAP) vaccines, whole-sporozoite vaccines, and controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies.

• Design, optimize, troubleshoot, and document experimental

protocols while maintaining accurate laboratory records and ensuring scientific rigor and reproducibility.

• Prepare manuscripts for publication, scientific presentations,

fellowship applications, and contribute to grant proposals.

• Mentor graduate students, research technicians, and

undergraduate trainees while fostering a collaborative and inclusive research environment.

• Collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams across

immunology, molecular parasitology, bioinformatics, systems biology, and clinical research.

• Present research findings at laboratory meetings, institutional

seminars, and national and international scientific conferences.

• Maintain compliance with institutional biosafety, animal care,

laboratory safety, and research regulations.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Microbiology, Infectious Diseases,

Parasitology, or a closely related discipline.

• Strong background in cellular and molecular immunology, with

demonstrated expertise in adaptive and/or innate immune responses.

• Hands-on experience with immunological techniques, including

multiparameter flow cytometry, immune cell isolation, cell culture, and functional immune assays.

• Experience working with infectious disease models and/or animal

models of infection and vaccination.

• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute,

troubleshoot, and interpret complex experiments.

• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving

skills with meticulous attention to detail.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including a

record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.