Research Associate

Research Associate/Technician position in NY (ONSITE)

Immediately Available: Research Associate/Technician Position 

Molecular and Mechanistic Cell Signaling Laboratory (Magupalli Lab)

The Magupalli Lab at Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute (LFKRI) | New York Blood Center (NYBC) seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral research fellow and research associate, who will conduct research under the mentorship of Dr. Venkat Magupalli, Assistant Faculty Member at LFKRI/NYBC.

The broad interest of the Magupalli Lab is to decipher the molecular and mechanistic basis of inflammasome signaling in physiological and pathological conditions.

Inflammasomes are supramolecular organizing centers of the innate immune system, widely regarded as an interface between host-pathogen interactions. Inflammasomes are activated upon sensing pathogenic and damage signatures, resulting in downstream recruitment and activation of inflammatory caspase-1, leading to the processing of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-18) and gasdermin D (GSDMD) to induce cytokine release and an inflammatory cell death termed pyroptosis. Dysregulated inflammasome has been associated with many pathological conditions including myeloid malignancies (MDS/AML), cytokine storm triggered by pathogens, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancers, autoinflammatory diseases, gout, and sepsis. Currently, the cellular mechanisms through which inflammasome drives the inflammatory state, are yet to be fully elucidated or exploited as therapeutic targets, and there is a need that is both urgent and unmet.

Multiple projects are aimed at using various cutting-edge technologies (cellular, encompasses biochemical, cellular, and structural mechanisms to in vivo biology) to shed light on inflammasome signaling. The positions are available immediately and offers an exciting opportunity benefits/perks to work closely with scientists and medical professionals in the highly collaborative and stimulating environment at LFKRI/NYBC right at the heart of vibrant Manhattan area, which is close to other premier institutes including Rockefeller University, Columbia University in the city of New York, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Recent Publications:

1) HDAC6-mediated aggresome-like mechanism for NLRP3 and Pyrin inflammasome activation.

Venkat Giri Magupalli*†, Roberto Negro*†, Arthur V. Haeunstein*, Yuzi Tian*, Giuseppe Di Caprio, Wesley Skillern, Qiufang Deng, Pontus Orning, Hasan B. Alam, Zoltan Maliga, Humayun Sharif, Jun Jacob Hu, Charles L. Evavold, Jonathan C. Kagan, Florian I. Schmidt, Katherine A. Fitzgerald, Tomas Kirchhausen, Yongqing Li† and Hao Wu†. 

Science. 2020;369(6510). Epub 2020/09/19. doi: 10.1126/science.aas8995. †Co-corresponding author. *Co-first authors, contributed equally. 

2) Unified polymerization mechanism for the assembly of ASC-dependent inflammasomes.

Alvin Lu*, Venkat Giri Magupalli*, Jianbin Ruan*, Qian Yin, Maninjay K. Atianand, Matthijn Vos, Gunner F. Schröder, Katherine A. Fitzgerald, Hao Wu and Edward H. Egelman. 

Cell. 2014; 156: 1193-1206. *Co-first authors, contributed equally. 

3) Structural mechanism for NEK7-licensed NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Humayun Sharif, Li Wang, Wei Li Wang, Venkat Giri Magupalli, Liudmila Andreeva, Qi Qiao, Arthur V. Hauenstein, Zhaolong Wu, Gabriel Nunez, Youdong Mao, and Hao Wu. 

Nature. 2019; 570 (7761): 338-343. 

4) Cryo-EM structures of the active NLRP3 inflammasome disk.

Le Xiao, Venkat Giri Magupalli, and Hao Wu. 

Nature. 2022; Nov 28. Doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05570-8. Online ahead of print.

Requirements:

For Research Associate position: An undergraduate degree in immunology, Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or a related field is required. This is an interesting opportunity for candidate who want to pursue PhD or MD/PhD program down the lane.

Good communication and organizational skills, and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively are important for these positions. 

Having prior knowledge is preferred and is NOT a must for the following methods/techniques.

Cloning, protein purification, cell culture, mouse work, microscopy, Genome-wide CRISPR screening.

For applicants who will perform this position in New York City or Westchester County, the proposed annual salary is $43,500.00/year to $45,000.00/year based on experience. Open to negotiate based on the any proper research experience. For applicants who will perform this position outside of New York City or Westchester County, salary will reflect local market rates and be commensurate with the applicant’s skills, job-related knowledge, and experience. 

How to apply:

Interested candidates should send a short cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references to vmagupalli@nybc.org Candidates will be evaluated on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.

Venkat G. Magupalli

Assistant Member,

Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute

New York Blood Center

310 E 67th Street

New York, NY 10065, USA