City of Hope·Duarte, California
The postdoctoral fellow will design and conduct independent research on pancreatic islet biology using advanced imaging and functional assays. They will also contribute to manuscript preparation, present findings at scientific meetings, and mentor trainees within the laboratory.
Join the forefront of groundbreaking research at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, where we're changing lives and making a real difference in the fight against cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses.
Our dedicated and compassionate faculty and staff are driven by a common mission: Contribute to innovative approaches in predicting, preventing, and curing diseases, shaping the future of medicine through cutting-edge research.
A Postdoctoral Fellowship position is immediately available in the laboratory of Dr.
Julia Panzer.
The lab focuses on human islet physiology, with an emphasis on understanding how islet size, architecture, cell-cell interactions, and their microenvironment regulate endocrine function, to uncover mechanisms that can restore function in type 1 diabetes.
Using primarily human isolated islets and living pancreatic tissue slices, we combine advanced confocal time-lapse imaging with dynamic perifusion assays to investigate cellular signaling, cell-cell communication, and hormone secretion at single-cell and tissue-wide levels.
You will join a dynamic research environment with opportunities to develop expertise in pancreatic physiology, advanced imaging, and translational diabetes research while contributing to projects aimed at understanding the regulation of islet cell function in health and disease.
As a successful candidate you will: · Design and conduct independent and collaborative research projects focused on pancreatic islet biology and physiology. · Perform functional studies using isolated islets, dispersed cells, and pancreatic tissue slices from human donors with and without diabetes. · Apply confocal microscopy and live-cell imaging approaches to investigate cellular signaling and functional responses. · Analyze and interpret physiological and imaging datasets and contribute to the development of new experimental approaches. · Participate in manuscript preparation, presentation of findings at scientific meetings, and mentoring of trainees within the laboratory. · Contribute to collaborative projects within a multidisciplinary research environment.
Candidates must hold a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant field such as physiology, cell biology, or endocrinology. Experience in cellular physiology and functional assays is required, while expertise in confocal microscopy and primary cell work is highly desirable.
Market context
In California, postdoctoral fellowships in pancreatic islet biology and physiology are typically sought by candidates with doctoral training and hands-on experience in cellular physiology and functional assays. These roles can be competitive because employers often prefer applicants with confocal microscopy and primary cell expertise, and the requirements and benefits shown here are AI-summarized from the original job description to save you research time. If you are applying, emphasize specific assay systems, imaging experience, and any work with endocrine or metabolic models.