"Post-Doctoral Associate in the Division of Science (Biology) – Dr. Aashish Jha"

The Genetic Heritage Group in the Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, seeks a highly motivated Post-Doctoral Associate to join our interdisciplinary team investigating the discovery of novel bioactive compounds from human, animal, and environmental microbiomes.

The successful candidate will focus on wet-lab experimental approaches to isolate, culture, and characterize microbial strains from diverse sources, including human, animal, and environmental microbiomes. This role involves genome sequencing and phenotyping of novel isolates, metabolite extraction and preparation for LC-MS/MS analysis, and validation of biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC)–metabolite links using heterologous expression, pathway activation, and functional assays. The project provides deeply sequenced microbiomes from humans and the environment across a lifestyle gradient. The postdoc will mine this diversity to isolate organisms, validate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), characterize microbial metabolites, and functionally test candidate compounds.

The Post-Doctoral Associate will also purify candidate metabolites using prep-HPLC and fractionation, assess their biological activity (antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or immunomodulatory), and work closely with computational collaborators to prioritize microbial strains and BGCs for experimental characterization. In addition, the fellow will maintain accurate laboratory records, troubleshoot experiments, and contribute to manuscript preparation and scientific presentations. The candidate will join a highly multidisciplinary environment consisting of population geneticists, microbiome scientists, statisticians, and computational biologists, as well as graduate and undergraduate students.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Genetics, Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology, Microbiology, or a related field, and a strong background in microbiology, microbial genetics, natural product chemistry, or related fields, and hands-on experience with bacterial culture, metabolite extraction, LC-MS/MS, HPLC purification, and functional bioassays. Experience with microbial genomics, heterologous expression, or high-throughput screening is highly desirable. Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team are essential.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the interface of microbiome science and drug discovery, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to uncover novel therapeutics from underexplored microbial communities. Applicants should be passionate about microbiome-based discovery, experimental innovation, and translating molecular insights into functional outcomes.

For consideration, applicants need to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae with full publication list, a transcript, statement of research interests and three letters of reference, all in PDF format. If you have any questions, please email Prof. Aashish Jha at jhaar@nyu.edu.

The terms of employment are very competitive and include housing and educational subsidies for children. Applications will be accepted immediately and candidates will be considered until the position is filled.