Post-Doctoral Research Fellow-Cell Biology and Neurobiology

How does the body turn a local disturbance — an infection, a surplus of nutrients, a stressed organ — into a coordinated, whole-organism response? The Rajan Lab asks how cells sense, encode, and communicate metabolic and immune stress between organs. Working in adult Drosophila as a discovery engine, with validation in mammalian systems, we have found that cells repurpose conserved molecular machinery in unexpected ways and move signals between distant tissues — opening fresh territory in cell biology and neurobiology.

We are recruiting a Post Doctoral Research Fellow to join a collaborative, well-funded lab and to take these discoveries in new directions. You will anchor in an established, funded project and are expected — and actively supported — to build an independent niche from it.

Research areas

Our portfolio spans several actively growing areas. You can enter through any of them:

• Atg8 spatiophysiology: How the conserved Atg8/LC3–GABARAP machinery is redeployed beyond autophagy — through lipidation, LIR/LDS partner docking, and membrane remodeling — to encode and externalize a cell’s stress state. A fellow in this area could focus on either its chromatin biology or extracellular cargo trafficking.
• Brain senescence & adipo-glial communication: How adipocyte-derived signals govern glial phagocytosis (Draper/MEGF10), JNK/AP-1–driven senescence, lipid-droplet accumulation, and brain aging.
• Inter-organ mitochondrial signaling: How mitochondrial components and cellular oxidative-phosphorylation state are mobilized to coordinate physiology between organs.
• Lipoprotein & lipid biology: How ApoB lipoproteins and adipocyte lipid state act as inter-organ signals in metabolism and neuroprotection.
• Behavior & cognition: How these molecular signals shape Drosophila feeding and cognition (learning and memory) as the physiological output of metabolic and immune stress.

We especially welcome candidates with demonstrated strength in one or more of the following. You do not need all of them — depth in one, and enthusiasm for the rest, is ideal:

• Biochemistry and Cell biology, particularly the Atg8/ubiquitin-like protein and autophagy field, chromatin biology or cargo trafficking.
• Mitochondrial biology
• Lipoprotein / lipid biology
• Drosophila behavior (feeding or cognition — learning and memory)

Build your own niche — and launch your lab

Our funded projects are launch pads, not boxes. From day one you will be encouraged to develop your own questions, own a defined direction, and carry it toward your independent career. The goal is field-shaping, high-impact work in cell biology or neurobiology.

Mentoring here is oriented around your success as a future PI. Rajan Lab postdocs have won prestigious fellowships — including the Helen Hay Whitney and NSF Postdoctoral fellowships — and moved on to independent research careers. We invest in fellowship applications, first-author and collaborative publications, conference visibility, and the transition to independence.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is home to more than 200 postdoctoral fellows across its research divisions, offering a supportive, highly collaborative, and resource-rich environment on a vibrant Seattle campus. Fellows have access to outstanding genomics, imaging, proteomics, and computational cores, and to a deep community of cell biologists, neurobiologists, and metabolism researchers.

Learn more about the lab: akhilalab.org

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• A PhD (recent, or expected within ~6 months) in cell biology, neurobiology, biochemistry, genetics, or a related field
• A strong foundation in molecular and cell biology
• Background in one of the focus areas above; familiarity with Drosophila genetics and/or mammalian cell culture is desirable
• A creative, independent thinker who also thrives as part of a collaborative team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

As part of your application, please submit: (1) a cover letter describing your previous research, your future research interests, and your career goals; pick one or two areas from the menu of research area options (2) a CV; and (3) contact information for three references.

The annual base salary range for this position is from $80,172 to $95,014, and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications.Although Fred Hutch is not sponsoring most H-1B visas at this time, candidates who already hold an H-1B sponsored by another organization and are currently in the U.S. may be eligible for this position.Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers employees a comprehensive benefits package designed to enhance health, well-being, and financial security. Benefits include medical/vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, life, disability, retirement, family life support, employee assistance program, onsite health clinic, income-based child care subsidy, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation (22 days per year), paid sick leave (up to 30 calendar days per occurrence of a qualifying reason), paid holidays (13 days per year), and paid parental leave (up to 4 weeks).