Research Assistant, Emory University

This position is based in a laboratory whose research is primarily centered on understanding the host and viral factors that modulate HIV heterosexual transmission and early viral disease in African populations, with the goal of applying this knowledge to HIV vaccine development. The recruitment of heterosexual HIV transmission pairs also allows researchers to investigate the impact of both innate and adaptive immune responses on HIV transmission and early HIV pathogenesis. Ongoing studies in collaboration with investigators around the world are aimed at understanding the effect of viral changes on early infection events, immune activation and virus replication at a molecular level, as well as the impact of biological sex. The knowledge gained from characterizing unique features of the transmitted viruses, the impact of immune escape and the sex of the infected individual on transmission and pathogenesis, will be critical for the development of an effective HIV vaccine.

A successful applicant will have the opportunity to:

1. Work on large HIV sequence datasets from subjects in Rwanda to explore the role that adaptation of the virus to an individual’s immune system can have on community viral loads. 
2.  Use similar datasets to investigate the selection processes involved in defining the transmissibility and ultimately the phenotype of HIV variants selected for transmission. This will involve laboratory work to generate new HIV sequence information.
3. Present the results of their work in laboratory research in progress meetings.

Candidates should be pursuing a master’s degree in public health with an interest in Global Health. Experience in HIV related research and exposure to programming would be preferred. 

For more information and application instructions, visit the job posting on 12Twenty.