The UCLA Department of Medicine, Center for Human Nutrition, is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Scholar to join the team. The successful candidate will work as part of an interdisciplinary research team in the laboratory of Dr. Devesha Kulkarni in the UCLA Department of Medicine/ Division of Clinical Nutrition. The focus of the Kulkarni Gut Lab is on immune responses in intestinal epithelial cell response towards changing microbiota, both in the context of normal development and dysbiosis associated with diseases such as IBD, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

The Kulkarni Gut Lab works extensively with mouse models, human tissue specimens, intestinal organoids, flow cytometry of mouse and human tissue specimens, single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing, and microbiome analysis. The ideal candidate will be motivated to learn and implement a variety of cutting-edge computational and experimental techniques in mucosal immunology, take responsibility for driving the project under the mentor’s guidance, and will be excited to work with different lab members. Projects may include but are not limited to interrogating mechanisms epithelial cell differentiation, characterizing immune responses, and understanding the role of microbiota in epithelial differentiation and development, animal models of IBD and metabolic diseases, and human tissue specimens. A Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D is required.

The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition has been working closely with several multi-disciplinary teams investigating how the diet, gut microbiome interacts with host systems to regulate human health and disease.

See Table 23 [https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2024-25/oct-2024-scales/t23.pdf]. A reasonable estimate for this position is $66,737- $80,034.

The shared values of the DGSOM are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of our community and affirms our unswerving commitment to doing what’s right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which we hold ourselves, and one another. Please read more about this important DGSOM program at https://medschool.ucla.edu/cultural-north-star.

The David Geffen School of Medicine Anti-racism roadmap is our co-created path to ensuring racial justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are committed to actively dismantling structural racism in our organization as described in more detail at: https://medschool.ucla.edu/diversity-anti-racism-roadmap.