Postdoctoral Research Opportunity in Aquatic Health and Phage Therapy
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is offering a postdoctoral research opportunity focused on vaccine development and bacteriophage-based therapeutics for aquatic animal health.
The position will be based at the Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, within the laboratory of Michael Deshotel, and will be open only for US citizens. This opportunity focuses on developing innovative solutions to combat bacterial diseases in warmwater fish, a major challenge for the U.S. aquaculture industry.
As traditional antibiotic treatments are increasingly limited due to antimicrobial resistance and regulatory concerns, to address this challenge, the research program focuses on antibiotic alternatives, including:
- Bacteriophage therapy
- Phage-derived lysins
- Vaccine development
- and Novel antimicrobial compounds, using these strategies, this research aims to improve fish health and support sustainable aquaculture production.
The selected postdoctoral researcher will participate in projects investigating innovative treatments and preventive strategies for bacterial diseases affecting warmwater fish species.
Key research areas include:
- Bacteriophage and Lysin Therapies: Isolation, purification, and amplification of bacteriophages and Evaluation of phage-based antimicrobial treatments
- Vaccine Development: Development and testing of fish vaccines and conducting vaccine efficacy trials
- Antimicrobial Testing: Evaluating novel therapeutic compounds and conducting in vivo and in vitro studies to assess efficacy and toxicity
- Host Disease Resistance: Identification of genes and biological pathways involved in disease resistance
This research opportunity offers significant career development through hands-on research experience in a federal research laboratory and exposure to aquaculture disease management strategies.
Qualifications & Skills Required
- Applicants should have received or be currently pursuing a doctoral degree in a relevant biological science field, including: Microbiology/Immunology/Molecular Biology/Biochemistry/Cell Biology/Veterinary or Animal Sciences/Other closely related disciplines in life and health sciences.
- Experience in: Animal vaccine studies and immunology, antibody assays, and flow cytometry, chromatography techniques, molecular and biochemical assays, PCR and cell culture techniques.
- Experience in Aquatic animal health research is desirable.
- A strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
How to Apply
Use Reference Code: USDA-ARS-SEA-2026-0116, Queries about the research program can be addressed to Michael Deshotel mailto:michael.deshotel@usda.gov or maito:ORISE.ARS.Southeast@orau.org, with reference code mentioned.
For more phage-based post-doctoral opportunities, check here
This job post was originally curated by www.thephage.xyz/jobs
