A post-doctoral research position is available with the Szachowicz Lab, located within the Department of Internal Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine. My research focuses on the nexus of innate immunity and respiratory epithelial cell biology. Specifically, I am interested in the lung specific complement response and the role it plays in both acute (e.g., respiratory viral infections) and chronic (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis) lung injury. We employ complementary in vivo (mice) and in vitro (cell and tissue cultures) models to address mechanistic and translational questions in lung biology.

My lab offers a unique situation for a post-doctoral candidate that is extremely enticing. I am an early career investigator, and as such, I have multiple projects that are in their early stages of development, but with strong preliminary data and are primed to be taken across the finish line. This provides the opportunity for a highly motivated post-doctoral candidate to take intellectual ownership of projects at an early and impactful stage. As my lab is still relatively small, I provide close mentorship and hands-on training. The successful candidate will have substantial opportunities for first-author publications, grant development, and career advancement over the next 3-4 years.

The Szachowicz lab is within the University of Iowa Lung Biology and Cystic Fibrosis Research Center (LBCFRC), which contains over a dozen other PI’s in addition to numerous PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, and other early-career researchers establishing their own labs. The environment is one of collaboration and openness, with weekly lab meetings in which the entire floor provides feedback on each other’s research. I work extremely closely and am directly mentored by Drs. Paul McCray, Richard Smith, and Jack Stapleton. Additionally, the LBCFRC includes faculty such as Drs. Michael Welsh, Joseph Zabner, and David Stoltz, offering exceptional depth and mentorship. Thus, in addition to working with myself, there is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with and receive mentorship from numerous highly respected late-stage researchers.