Job Description

Postdoctoral Fellow Career Transition Program in Cancer Research
The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX

POSITION DESCRIPTION: The University of Texas El Paso aims to recruit three outstanding postdoctoral fellows nationwide for a three-year UTEP Postdoctoral Fellow Career Transition Program in Cancer Research. We particularly encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, those with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program is fully supported by the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and the recipients of the specific CPRIT award will receive comprehensive support, including a stipend and fringe benefits, for a duration of three years. The program will provide a wide-ranging training plan with the support of an experienced training team that will provide comprehensive training in cancer research as well as professional development. Preference will be given to biomedical researchers working in disease models that represent disparities in our majority Hispanic population. Additional areas of preference include cancer metabolism; genetic/epigenetic cancer susceptibility differences; cancer biomarkers; computational analysis and modeling; the influence of obesity or obesity-associated metabolic changes/chronic metabolic diseases on the tumor microenvironment; drivers of chromosome instability among racial/ethnic populations; host response (such as microbe) or biological determinants; precision oncology; and new animal and cell culture models/systems development. After the successful completion of this prestigious CPRIT program, the awardees are expected to gain the skills and knowledge to become the next generation of leaders in cancer research, with a specific focus on addressing disparities in cancer and striving towards the goal of health equity. In addition, the awardees are expected to establish an extramurally funded research program; teach and mentor undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, and build a broad research competence required to assume leadership roles in cancer research.
UTEP boasts multiple state-of-the-art core facilities with full-time staff and BSL3/ABSL3 and small-animal (rodent) facilities. The core facilities include those focused on mass spectrometry, genomics, tissue culture and high-throughput drug screening, confocal microscopy, bioinformatics, and biostatistics. Faculty at UTEP maintain strong collaborative and programmatic ties across multiple colleges, including the College of Sciences, Psychology, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemistry, and Computer Science. Candidates’ appointment will be considered in any department within UTEP that represents a strong fit with the candidate’s expertise. The appointment is expected to begin ASAP.

RESPONSIBILITY: Prospective applicants must have an interest in research involving cancer health disparities under the mentorship and guidance of a UTEP faculty member. Prospective mentors include individuals in the School of Pharmacy, College of Science, and College of Health Sciences, etc. Prospective fellows have access to state-of-the-art core facilities funded through the UTEP Border Biomedical Research Center and have the ability to work with model systems spanning cell culture, mouse models, drug development. The CPRIT program will provide trainees with professional development training, career advising, training in proposal development/submission, oral communication skills, teaching and mentoring skills, and interdisciplinary opportunities for collaboration in a Cancer Research Working Group.
About UTEP and El Paso: The University of Texas at El Paso is a Carnegie R1 and Community Engaged research university at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region that is increasing access to excellent higher education. We advance the discovery of public value and positively impact the health, culture, education, and economy of the community we serve. UTEP enrolls 24,000 students—eighty-four percent of whom are Hispanic, and half of whom are the first in their families to attend college. The city’s border location makes it an ideal venue for academic programs and research studies on topics of national interest such as bilingual education/language acquisition, border environment and immigration, environmental sustainability and infrastructure, health disparities, and international trade and commerce.

The Paso del Norte region’s center for intellectual capital, UTEP is one of the major economic engines in the region, adding more than $1.4 billion to the local economy annually.

El Paso’s active arts and culture community features the state’s longest-running symphony orchestra, a nationally recognized chamber music festival, art galleries, museums, and a full schedule of seasonal events and festivals. UTEP adds to the arts and entertainment scene with an award-winning dinner theater, music and dance productions, contemporary and student art galleries, and a natural history museum.

For sports fans, the UTEP Miners offer exciting Division I college athletics at several campus venues including Sun Bowl Stadium, the Don Haskins Center, Kidd Field, University Field and the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. Southwest University Park, located a mile away in lively downtown El Paso, is home to the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, and the El Paso Locomotive, a professional soccer team founded in 2019.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have a doctoral degree in a biomedically-related field of sciences. An interest in cancer research and health disparities is required to align with the goals of the training program.

Basic eligibility criteria for trainees:
1) All supported trainees must reside in Texas during the time of the training program.
2) All trainees must be officially enrolled in our UTEP postdoctoral training program.
3) Trainees may be citizens or noncitizen nationals of the United States or international citizens who hold student visas.
4) Trainees must hold PhD, MD/PhD, MD/DO, DNS, DO, or MD degrees and show evidence of both high academic performance in the sciences and a keen interest in cancer research.

Candidate selection criteria:
The candidate selection is based on: 1) relevance to the CPRIT mission to improve cancer research, including Hispanic health disparities research; 2) innovation of the conceptual approach and procedures; 3) scientific merit, including the logic of the experimental design, methods, and analyses; 4) the extent of collaboration in the proposal; 5) appropriate scope for the project; and 6) the applicant’s research career and probability for obtaining extramural grant funding.

BENEFITS: Salary and benefits are highly competitive.

APPLICATION INFORMATION: Review of applications will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Candidates must submit 1) a letter of request from the applicant stating his/her intention; 2) the applicant's curriculum vitae; 3) a synopsis of the applicant's career goals (2-3 pages); 4) a research plan that includes a discussion of how this work will advance the study of cancer (2-3 page); and 5) contact information for at least three professional references. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Questions should be directed to the Director of the CPRIT program– Weiqin Lu, PhD – at [email protected] / Phone number: 915-747-8542.

To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/5036193

In keeping with its Access and Excellence mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract postdoctoral candidates who share our commitment. The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee's or prospective employee's right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972.