Postdoctoral Position in community-engaged human microbiome research

Submitted: 10/02/2025
Submitted By: Theresa Gildner
Department: Biology and Anthropology (50/50 split)
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Job type: Postdoc
Apply by: 10/31/2025
Application Email:
Application URL: https://apply.interfolio.com/175110

The Mallott (https://mallott-lab.github.io) and Gildner (https://www.reachresearch.org/) labs are jointly recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to join an interdisciplinary team investigating links between flooding, environmental pathogen levels, and related intestinal infection risk in low-resource regions of the United States. The postdoc will contribute to a newly-funded multi-disciplinary project: “Predicting Flood-Related Health Threats in At-Risk U.S. Communities”. The postdoc will work closely with communities in flood-prone regions of the Midwest and Mississippi Delta to develop tools to predict health risks from flooding and assist local residents and decision-makers in identifying and reducing flood-related health dangers. This unique postdoc position combines anthropological and microbiome research methods, focusing on understanding how environmental factors influence human health through microbial pathways. The successful candidate will split time between Gildner and Mallott labs, conducting longitudinal data collection, laboratory analyses, and community outreach. The postdoc will join a cohort of graduate students and postdocs across Earth Science, Environmental Engineering, Data Science and Statistics, Microbiology, and Anthropology.

Key Responsibilities
Fieldwork:
Assist with participant recruitment and communication.
Lead participant data collection (interviews, anthropometric measurements, dried blood spot samples, and stool samples) during quarterly site visits to the two study sites.
Conduct soil microbiome sampling along designated transects and at participant residences during quarterly site visits.

Laboratory Research:
Perform laboratory methods to prepare soil and fecal samples for microbiome sequencing (DNA extraction, PCR).
Assist with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses to measure intestinal health.
Analyze soil and fecal microbiome sequencing data using established bioinformatics pipelines.

Administrative & Data Management:
Mentor graduate and undergraduate students and contribute to a collaborative research environment.
Enter and maintain participant data in REDCap database systems.
Assist in sharing laboratory results with study participants.
Disseminate findings through publications and conference presentations.

Required Qualifications
Education: Ph.D. in Biological anthropology, Ecology, Evolutionary biology, Environmental microbiology, or a related field.
Fieldwork Experience: Experience with field data collection (participant interviews and data collection, environmental sampling, or other field experience).
Laboratory Experience: Experience with common wet lab techniques.
Travel Availability: Ability and willingness to travel to the Mississippi Delta quarterly for fieldwork. The second site is within a 30 minute drive of WashU’s campus.
Communication: Strong interpersonal skills for participant engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration. Strong publication and presentation record.

Preferred Qualifications
Molecular biology experience (DNA extraction, PCR, sequencing library preparation).
Experience with analyzing microbiome data and/or analyzing sequencing data in a high-performance computing environment.
Experience in BSL2 laboratory and familiarity with ELISA techniques.
Demonstrated fieldwork experience in community-based research and participant recruitment.
Experience with environmental or soil sampling.
Familiarity with biomarker collection techniques (e.g., anthropometrics, dried blood spots).
Proficiency with data management systems (REDCap experience preferred).

Application Instructions
Please submit the following materials:
Cover letter detailing research interests, relevant experience, and description of how this position fits your career goals
Current CV
Contact information for three professional references

Review of applications will begin October 31st, 2025
Contact: Liz Mallott (mallott@wustl.ed) and Theresa Gildner (gildner@wustl.edu). Informal inquiries prior to formally applying are welcome.