Research Scientist, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

The Department of Medicine at the University of Virginia is seeking a Research Scientist to work in the laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Sturek, MD, PhD. The Sturek Laboratory is an exciting NIH‑funded group which focuses on translational pulmonary immunology and fibrosis. The laboratory utilizes both human and patient samples to explore disease phenotypes and associations as well as murine and in‑vitro model systems to test novel biological mechanisms.

Techniques of interest focus around high‑dimensional immunophenotyping via mass cytometry and spectral flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and imaging mass cytometry, and RNA sequencing. Disease areas of interest are fibrotic lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary graft‑vs‑host disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and respiratory infections.

The successful candidate will serve as a leader of laboratory projects, provide scientific and technical guidance on experimental design, conduct and interpretation, and also perform studies needed to advance the missions of our research program. This is a leadership position within the lab, and the successful candidate will serve as the principal investigator’s scientific partner. They should possess strong organizational skills to enable the administrative, regulatory and operational needs of the lab, and they should be willing and eager to learn new techniques to bring to the lab.

They will be expected to help teach other trainees rotating in the laboratory, including postdoctoral fellows, pulmonary and critical‑care fellows, medicine residents, PhD candidates, medical students, and undergraduates. They should also possess excellent verbal and written communication skills to facilitate our training mission and to contribute to preparation of research proposals and manuscripts. The projects for this posting are related to the role of the immune system in fibrotic lung diseases and are supported by a recently awarded NIH R01.

PhD in the Biosciences or an MD with a research emphasis, or a master’s degree with significant experience.

Experience:

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience with either mouse models of pulmonary disease, murine or human immunology, flow cytometry and histology. Experience with primary cell culture, functional analyses in vitro and in vivo, and characterization of the molecular features of cells (DNA/RNA/Protein) is essential. Likewise, experience with retro‑ and lenti‑viral production and transduction, RNAi‑based strategies for post‑transcriptional regulation of gene expression, and CRISPR/Cas9 techniques are desired.

Additionally, experience with or interest in modern high‑dimensional data analysis techniques such as mass cytometry, spectral flow, and RNAseq is strongly preferred.

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings and programs.

Salary will be commensurate with education and experience.

This is an exempt‑level, benefited position. Learn more about UVA benefits.

This is a restricted position, which is dependent on funding and is contingent upon funding availability. Continued employment will depend on department need and funding.

This position is based in Charlottesville, VA, and must be performed fully on‑site.

To learn more about UVA and in the Charlottesville area, visit UVA Life and Embark CVA.

Application review will begin after November 6, 2025.

Background checks and pre‑employment health screenings will be conducted on all new hires prior to employment.

Please apply online, by searching for requisition number R0077341. Complete an application with the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Contact information for three references

Upload all materials into the resume submission field. You can submit multiple documents into this one field or combine them into one PDF. Applications without all required documents will not receive full consideration.

Search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website.

For questions about the application process, please contact Jessica Russo, Senior Recruiter, sxv9zv.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.  to read more about UVA’s commitment to non‑discrimination and equal opportunity employment.