Position Details

Title
Postdoctoral Fellow

Appointment Status
Non-Tenure Track

Department
IU Bloomington Biology

Location
Bloomington

Position Summary

The department of Biology is a large, unified department with strong undergraduate degrees, nationally-ranked graduate programs, and world-class research spanning the breadth of biological questions and experimental systems — from ecosystems to microbiology and developmental biology, from evolution to cell biology, from molecular biology to systems biology, bioinformatics, and genomics. It is always an exciting time for Biology — enormous advances in global genome analysis coupled with unprecedented developments in interdisciplinary research have made the 21st century the Century of Biology.

The Dharan Lab in the Department of Biology at Indiana University, Bloomington is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral associate to work on HIV-1 related projects with minimal supervision. The primary goal of the lab is to characterize the role of nuclear pore complex machinery in mediating HIV-1 nuclear entry and subsequent downstream process that leads to productive viral gene integration. The goal of this position is to work on active projects to generate data for publications and to also generate data for external funding. The prospective candidate should be willing to work in a collaborative environment, assisting graduate students, supervising undergraduate students and presenting their work in shared lab meetings and outside meetings.

Basic Qualifications

Education and Experience required: Highly motivated individuals holding a Ph.D. degree in virology and preferably on HIV-1 research are encouraged to apply. The lab combines basic virology and cell biology approaches including widefield, confocal and super resolution imaging techniques and flow cytometry to address key questions. The prospective candidate should have the knowledge to perform cell culture works and a willingness to learn and trouble shoot new techniques.

Required skills:

• Cell culture
• Viral vector production
• Viral infection assays
• Basic cloning techniques
• Ability to plot and interpret data and come up with follow up experiments
• Demonstrates mastery of time management
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism
• Ability to work as a team
• Proficient communication skills, written and oral
• Anticipates and solves problems
• High degree of initiative

Preferred skills:

• Microscopy (widefield or confocal) techniques
• Image analysis techniques and Flow cytometry

Department Contact for Questions

To apply, go to https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/33141. Please submit (1) a cover letter describing your current research and educational background, your career goals, why you think you are suitable for this position, and the date you are available to start, (2) a CV or resume and (3) the name and contact info of two references. For questions about the position, contact Adarsh Dharan (adharan@iu.edu). The best consideration date is 5/30/2026.

Timing and compensation: Review of applicants will begin soon and continue until this position is filled. The ideal start date is August 1st, 2026, or earlier. The initial appointment is for 1 year, and reappointment is contingent upon satisfactory performance. Salary will be commensurate with experience, and full benefits are included.