Post Doctoral Fellow

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) brings together more than four decades of innovative and life-saving research on vaccines and infectious diseases. The Kappe Lab is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Fellow.

The Kappe laboratory has pioneered the development of genetically attenuated malaria parasites (GAPs) and whole-sporozoite malaria vaccines designed to induce durable protective immunity against Plasmodium infection. Our research combines cutting-edge immunology, parasite biology, and translational vaccine development to understand how liver-stage malaria parasites interact with the host immune system, identify protective immune mechanisms and novel antigen targets, and define immune correlates of protection. Ongoing projects span basic immunology, systems biology, controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies, and clinical malaria vaccine development.

This position offers an exceptional opportunity to join a collaborative, multidisciplinary research program dedicated to advancing next-generation malaria vaccines while providing outstanding scientific mentorship and career development.

Research Areas

Research projects may include:

• Vaccine-induced CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T-cell immunity
• Innate immune regulation of adaptive responses
• Immune correlates of protection against malaria
• Identification of protective malaria antigens
• Regulatory T-cell and inflammatory responses during infection
• Systems immunology and high-dimensional immune profiling
• Single-cell transcriptomics and T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis
• Translational studies supporting human malaria vaccine clinical trials

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute independent and collaborative research projects investigating immune mechanisms underlying malaria infection and vaccine-induced protection.
• Perform advanced immunological experiments, including multiparameter flow cytometry, cell sorting, ELISA, ELISpot, intracellular cytokine staining, immune cell culture, cytotoxicity assays, and other functional immune assays.
• Apply and interpret high-dimensional immune profiling approaches, including spectral flow cytometry, mass cytometry (CyTOF), single-cell RNA sequencing, and T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analyses.
• Analyze complex immunological datasets using FlowJo, R, RStudio, and other statistical or bioinformatics tools to identify immune correlates of protection and mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity.
• Investigate host-parasite interactions during liver-stage malaria infection using in vitro and in vivo experimental models.
• Contribute to studies evaluating immune responses induced by genetically attenuated parasite (GAP) vaccines, whole-sporozoite vaccines, and controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies.
• Design, optimize, troubleshoot, and document experimental protocols while maintaining accurate laboratory records and ensuring scientific rigor and reproducibility.
• Prepare manuscripts for publication, scientific presentations, fellowship applications, and contribute to grant proposals.
• Mentor graduate students, research technicians, and undergraduate trainees while fostering a collaborative and inclusive research environment.
• Collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams across immunology, molecular parasitology, bioinformatics, systems biology, and clinical research.
• Present research findings at laboratory meetings, institutional seminars, and national and international scientific conferences.
• Maintain compliance with institutional biosafety, animal care, laboratory safety, and research regulations.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong background in cellular and molecular immunology, with demonstrated expertise in adaptive and/or innate immune responses.
• Hands-on experience with immunological techniques, including multiparameter flow cytometry, immune cell isolation, cell culture, and functional immune assays.
• Experience working with infectious disease models and/or animal models of infection and vaccination.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, execute, troubleshoot, and interpret complex experiments.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including a record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Immunology
• Experience working with malaria parasites or other infectious disease models.
• Proficiency in FlowJo, R, and/or RStudio for high-dimensional flow cytometry data analysis and visualization.
• Experience with high-parameter spectral flow cytometry and/or mass cytometry (CyTOF).
• Experience with single-cell RNA sequencing, T-cell receptor repertoire analysis, or other systems immunology approaches.
• Familiarity with bioinformatics workflows, statistical analysis, and multi-omics data integration.
• Experience with computational immunology or advanced biological data visualization.
• Interest in translational vaccine research and collaborative multidisciplinary science.

Application Materials

Applicants should submit:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• A cover letter describing:
  • Research experience and accomplishments
  • Scientific interests and career goals
  • Interest in malaria immunology and vaccine research
  • Expected availability/start date
  • Contact information for three professional references

We look forward to welcoming a dedicated researcher passionate about advancing the science of vaccine development and immune response! Please send your application to Dr. Stefan Kappe, PhD: skappe@som.umaryland.edu

UMB is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce and is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, ancestry or national origin, sex, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, protected veteran's status, or any other legally protected classification.

If you anticipate needing a reasonable accommodation for a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), during any part of the employment process, please submit a UMB Job Applicant Accommodation Request. You may also contact leave_and_accom@umaryland.edu Please note that only inquiries concerning an ADA request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. Read the UMB Notice of Non-Discrimination for more information.