Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Keywords: microbiology; microtechnology; atomic force microscopy (AFM); time-lapse optical microscopy; single-cell analysis; infectious diseases; microtissue infection models; organoid; organ-on-chip; organoid-on-chip; antibiotics; persistence; recurrent infection
This position will be a joint appointment in the labs of Prof. John McKinney (School of Life Sciences) and Prof. Georg Fantner (School of Engineering). We are looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to lead a project using live-cell imaging and state-of-the-art microtissue models of pulmonary and urinary tract infections to study bacterial pathogenesis, persistence, and recurrence in the antibiotic-treated host. The ideal candidate will have a background in (bio)engineering and hands-on experience with atomic force microscopy (AFM).
For more information, please contact Prof. John McKinney ([email protected]).
Background Reading (*Senior Authors):
Eskandarian HA, Odermatt PD, Ven J, Hannebelle M, Nievergelt AP, Dhar N, McKinney JD*, Fantner GE* (2017) Division site selection linked to inherited cell surface wave troughs in mycobacteria. Nature Microbiology 2: 17094 PMID: 28650475.
Odermatt PD, Hannebelle MTM, Eskandarian HA, Nievergelt AP, McKinney JD*, Fantner GE* (2019) Overlapping and essential roles for molecular and mechanical mechanisms in mycobacterial cell division. Nature Physics 16: 57-62 PMID: 31921326.
Hannebelle MTM, Ven JXY, Toniolo C, Eskandarian HA, Vuaridel-Thurre G, McKinney JD*, Fantner GE* (2020) A biphasic growth model for cell pole elongation in mycobacteria. Nature Communications 11: 452 PMID: 31974342.
Thacker VV, Dhar N, Sharma K, Barrile R, Karalis K, McKinney JD (2020) A lung-on-chip model of early Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection reveals an essential role for alveolar epithelial cells in controlling bacterial growth. eLife 9: e59961 PMID: 33228849.
Sharma K, Thacker VV, Dhar N, Clapés Cabrer M, Dubois A, Signorino-Gelo F, Mullenders J, Knott G, Clevers H, McKinney JD (2021) Early invasion of the bladder wall by solitary bacteria protects UPEC from antibiotics and neutrophil swarms in an organoid model. Cell Reports 36: 109351 PMID: 34289360.
Sharma K, Dhar N, Thacker VV, Simonet TM, Signoriono-Gelo F, Knott GW, McKinney JD (2021) Dynamic persistence of UPEC intracellular bacterial communities in a human bladder-chip model of urinary tract infection. eLife 10: e66481 PMID: 34219648.
Thacker VV, Sharma K, Dhar N, Mancini GF, Sordet-Dessimoz J, McKinney JD (2021) Rapid endotheliitis and vascular damage characterize SARS-CoV-2 infection in a human lung-on-chip model. EMBO Reports 22: e52744 PMID: 33908688.
Mishra R, Hannebelle M, Patil VP, Dubois A, Garcia-Mouton C, Kirsch GM, Jan M, Sharma K, Guex N, Sordet-Dessimoz J, Perez-Gil J, Prakash M, Knott GW, Dhar N, McKinney JD*, Thacker VV* (2023) Mechanopathology of biofilm-like Mycobacterium tuberculosis cords. Cell 186(23): 5135-5150 PMID: 37865090.