The Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology serves the children of North Carolina in the diagnosis and treatment of known or suspected immune deficiencies and allergic diseases, including food and environmental allergies. Within the Division, established and anticipated research studies conducted by the UNC Food Allergy Initiative (www.uncfoodallergy.org) supports a nationally recognized program. The program is dedicated to the study of new medicines and treatments, laboratory studies involving allergies and desensitization (mice and human subjects), as well as the education of community physicians, allied health professionals, and the public.

The UNC FAI is seeking a post-doctoral research associate to participate in a variety of lab-based research studies. Primarily, this position will perform studies in mouse models, with opportunities to work on human samples as well. Currently, we have funding from the NIH and DoD to develop novel therapies for food allergies in mice. These projects include targeted depletion of antigen-specific B cells, adjuvanting sublingual immunotherapy through interactions with toll-like receptors (TLRs), developing an mRNA vaccine for peanut allergy, and using virus-like particles (VLPs) displaying allergens as immunotherapy. Techniques include hands-on work with mice, ELISA, flow cytometry, cell culture, and other immunologic assays. Our laboratory team is very active, well-funded, and continuously publishing important findings. Additionally, our team has many collaborators both in academia and industry allowing us to perform cutting-edge research.

We expect for this position to be heavily involved in the day-to-day mouse studies, as well as data analysis, writing scientific papers, and presenting talks at scientific meetings. There will also be plenty of opportunities to assist in grant proposal writing, experimental design, and networking with our colleagues at UNC and beyond.