Location
SAINT LOUIS, MO 63110
Position Summary
A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Campisi in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis. Our laboratory studies how T cells interact with the central nervous system (CNS) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), using both mouse models and human samples (Campisi et al., Nature 2022; Terekhova et al., preprint Research Square 2026). We aim to uncover the fundamental immunology of how T cells are activated and maintained in the CNS during disease, and to determine whether these discoveries can be translated into new therapeutic targets. To address these questions, we combine fundamental immunology approaches, including high-dimensional multiplex spectral flow cytometry, with imaging and computational analyses. The successful candidate will lead an independent project within this program in a supportive, mentored training environment.
WashU offers a highly collaborative and interactive research environment. Our lab is part of the Division of Immunobiology and is also affiliated with, and actively collaborates with, the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG), the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, and the WashU Medicine ALS Center. These connections give trainees access to a vibrant neuroimmunology community, shared expertise and core facilities, and direct links between basic research and clinical ALS care.
The appointment is viewed as a training or transitional period preparatory to an academic, industrial, governmental, or other full-time research or teaching career. Used when the appointee performs specific services on a grant or contract in exchange for compensation.
Job Description
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:
Information on being a postdoc at WashU in St. Louis can be found at https://postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs-2/ .
Research Responsibilities :
Trains under the supervision of a faculty mentor including (but not limited to):
Design, conduct, and lead research projects investigating how T cells are activated, maintained, and function within the CNS in mouse models of ALS.
Design, optimize, acquire, and analyze high-parameter multiplex spectral flow cytometry panels on immune cells from the CNS and peripheral tissues.
Use imaging approaches (e.g., immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy) to characterize T cell localization and interactions with CNS cells.
Apply computational approaches to analyze high-dimensional cytometry, imaging, and related datasets.
Maintain mouse colonies and perform in vivo procedures and tissue collection in compliance with institutional animal care (IACUC) guidelines.
Contribute, as appropriate, to studies of human samples in compliance with institutional review board (IRB) and biosafety requirements.
Identify and evaluate candidate immune pathways and therapeutic targets emerging from the lab's findings.
Present research at lab meetings, institutional seminars, and national/international conferences.
Apply for independent postdoctoral fellowships and career development awards with the support of the PI.
Help train and mentor graduate students, technicians, and undergraduate researchers in the lab.
General Responsibilities :
Assists with grant preparation and reporting.
Prepares and submits papers on research.
Assists in the design of research experiments.
Evaluates research findings and assists in the reporting of the results.
Conscientious discharge of their research responsibilities.
Maintains conformity with ethical standards in research.
Maintains compliance with good laboratory practice including the maintenance of adequate research records.
Engages in open and timely discussion with their mentor regarding possession or distribution of material, reagents, or records belonging to their laboratory and any proposed disclosure of findings or techniques privately or in publications.
Collegial conduct towards co-trainees, staff members and members of the…