A position is available to study SARS-CoV-2 infection of primary differentiated human nasal epithelial cell (hNEC) cultures. SARS-CoV-2 infects the upper and lower respiratory tract and replication can be influenced by physiological ranges in temperature (33C to 37C). This project will study both viral and cellular factors that mediate changes in replication rates and epithelial cell responses to infection. The isolation of variants of concern coupled with an infectious clone system will be utilized to study mutations in SARS-CoV-2 structural and nonstructural proteins and how they affect virus fitness.
Candidates with a strong background in virology, molecular biology, cell biology and/or biochemistry should send a cover letter, CV, and the names/email addresses of three references to:
Andrew Pekosz, Ph.D. W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health 615 North Wolfe Street, rm W2116 Baltimore, MD 21205-2103 Email: apekosz1@jhu.edu