Postdoctoral fellow in Human Immunology and Allergic Diseases

Funded as a PPP Healthtech project, Dr. Christiane Hilger, Research Group “Molecular and Translational Allergology” at the Department of Infection and Immunity is seeking a Post-Doctoral fellow in Human Immunology and Allergic Diseases.

Background

The postdoc position is funded through external competitive funding by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR). The successful candidate will be part of the Research Group Molecular & Translational Allergology, an international team with long-standing experience and high visibility in allergy research. The Research Group is embedded within the Department of Infection & Immunity at the LIH, a multidisciplinary and state-of-the-art environment. 

Project

Ticks bearing pathogens can transmit infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis and others. Recently, a non-infectious human disease, namely the alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), was shown to be of tick origin. AGS is characterized by the presence of IgE antibodies directed against the carbohydrate galactose-α-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal or α-gal) and a delayed reaction upon ingestion of mammalian meat. However, not every tick bite will lead to sensitization and it is still not understood how the initial events after a tick bite will either lead to a short-lived natural inflammatory immune reaction or shift the immune response to an uncontrolled Th2 response and the production of specific IgE antibodies that potentially lead to allergic symptoms.

The aim of the project is to investigate early peripheral immune responses in individuals experiencing a tick bite by using a multi-omics approach. The project integrates epidemiological surveillance with immunological immunophenotyping. The selected candidate will interact with a strong consortium composed of highly recognized experts in the field of epidemiology, systems immunology, infectious and allergic diseases.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will participate in a translational research study led by Dr. Christiane Hilger (PI of the project) and integrate into a motivated team of international students and scientists at LIH. 

Key Accountabilities

• Plan, direct, and conduct specialized research experiments to understand immunological mechanism in the context of innate and adaptive immunity;
• Develop and coordinate flow cytometry experiments and perform multi-omic data analysis;
• Collaborate with study partners to achieve research goals;
• Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals;
• Present research findings at national and international conferences;
• Train and co-supervise under- and post-graduate students.

Key Skills, Demonstrated Experience and Qualifications

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, or related field (ideally completed within the last 3 years);
• Experience with human biosamples, immunoassays and multicolor flow cytometry;
• Strong background and publication record in allergy and/or human immunology (at least one first-author original publication in recognized international journal(s));
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English;
• Desired skills: experience with analyzing multidimensional immune data.

For any further information please visit:

Dr. Christiane Hilger (PI of the project): https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9455-5442and the website of the Research Group Molecular & Translational Allergology

Applications including a motivation letter and a CV should be sent before 31 January 2025 via the apply button below. Please indicate your earliest availability in your CV and/or motivation letter. 

Gender Equality

The LIH is an equal opportunities employer. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff. 

The LIH is attentive to gender representation among its leadership staff and aims to eliminate obstacles to the recruitment and promotion of female leaders and their career development.