Research Scientist, Abdominal Transplantation

Overview

This will be a 2-year fixed-term position with a possibility for extension based on performance, the availability of funding and programmatic needs. From benchtop research to international programs, the Department of Surgery delivers exceptional patient care, provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate education, and advances the field of surgery through innovative basic science and clinical research. Our department is a high-performing team of dedicated faculty and staff, committed to setting ambitious goals that foster collaboration and drive growth in education, research, clinical training, and innovation—elevating the profile of Stanford Surgery and advancing our mission worldwide.

The laboratory of Dr. Sheri Krams at Stanford School of Medicine (Department of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Transplantation) is recruiting a Basic Life Research Scientist to study core mechanisms of immune recognition and regulation in clinically relevant settings. Our work dissects the cellular and molecular pathways that shape immune responses to alloantigen and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), with a growing focus on how extracellular vesicles mediate intercellular communication and modulate immune function in transplantation and viral immunity—linking fundamental immune circuitry to the biology underlying transplant-associated immune complications.

A major emphasis of the lab is defining the diversity, regulation, and functional specialization of natural killer (NK) cells in response to allografts and xenografts. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative program that blends discovery-driven immunology with access to human samples and disease context, enabling mechanistic insights with clear potential to inform future therapeutic strategies.

The candidate should have experience, in or be willing to learn, CyTOF, sequencing—including NGS and RNA-Seq, and bioinformatics. The candidate must be quick to learn new techniques and be able to modify and adapt standard protocols. The candidate should be organized, display good judgment, have excellent communication skills and be a team player. The candidate will be expected to write and contribute to research protocols, manuscripts and grants.

The candidate will also be responsible for supervising, training, and mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate students, medical students, clinical fellows, and visiting scientists and participate in collaborations with other research groups.

• Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree, and at least 5 years of postdoctoral experience.
• Strong record of productivity and publications.
• Course work and/or published research in Immunology.
• Must be self-motivated, adaptable, and able to work with minimal direction.
• Strong organizational, collaborative, and time management skills.
• Strong ability to write and communicate effectively.
• Excellent written and oral skills with experience writing medical education research papers.
• Ability to work independently and part of the departments and medical school’s medical education research teams.

The expected pay range for this position is $92,235 to $110,000 per annum. Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage the university reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a…