Dr. Mohsan Saeed’s laboratory at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate for a project on the interplay between proteases and antiviral immunity. The candidate will investigate the molecular details of how flaviviruses use their proteases to shape antiviral defense mechanisms in humans and mosquitoes. The work will employ an advanced proteomics approach, stem cell-derived models of virus infection and modern molecular biology techniques, including CRISPR/Cas9, proximity-labeling analysis, single-cell RNA sequencing, and high-resolution cell imaging. The strong conceptual and technological foundation of the proposed project presents a solid platform for several high-quality publications.

The candidate will benefit from:

• The high-tech facilities and an extremely resourceful environment of the NEIDL (https://www.bu.edu/neidl/)

• Saeed lab’s ongoing collaborations with Harvard Medical School, MIT, Broad Institute, and Boston University School of Medicine

• Saeed lab’s close partnerships with Boston University’s Center for Regenerative Medicine (https://www.bu.edu/dbin/stemcells/) and Center for Network Systems Biology (https://cnsb.bu.edu/home-page/)

• NEIDL’s extraordinary seminar series featuring world-renowned experts in virology, emerging infectious diseases, and immunology

• A large number of outstanding benefit programs offered by the Boston University (www.bu.edu/benefits)

• A highly rich academic environment of the city of Boston.

The ideal candidate should have a recent Ph.D. or equivalent degree in molecular biology, extensive experience with viruses (ideally flaviviruses) and innate immunity, first-author publications in peer reviewed journals, strong communication and analytical abilities, and enthusiasm for basic science research. The candidates with expertise in proteomics and/or computational biology will be preferred.

Please send your cover letter and resume/CV to Dr. Mohsan Saeed at msaeed1@bu.edu

Some of our recent publications include:

• Datta S, et al., High-resolution photocatalytic mapping of SARS-CoV-2 spike interactions on the cell surface. 2023. Cell Chemical Biology.

• Chen DY, et al., Spike and nsp6 are key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 attenuation. 2023. Nature.

• Chin CV and Saeed M. Surgical strikes on host defenses: Role of the viral protease activity in innate immune antagonism. 2022, Pathogens.

• Weingarten-Gabbay S, et al., Profiling SARS-CoV-2 HLA-1 peptidome reveals T cell epitopes from out-of-frame ORFs. 2021. Cell.

• Chen DY, et al., SARS-CoV-2 disrupts proximal elements in the JAK-STAT pathway. 2021. Journal of Virology.

• Saeed M, et al., Defining the proteolytic landscape during enterovirus infection. 2020. PLoS Pathogens.