Postdoctoral Scientist (HIV CURE)

Role Summary

The Virology group is seeking a highly motivated Postdoc to join our team at Gilead Sciences in Foster City, CA. This Post-Doctoral position offers a unique opportunity to investigate a central challenge in HIV cure research: understanding why only a subset of intact HIV proviruses are transcriptionally active or inducible, while others remain persistently silent. The fellow will lead a mechanistic study at single-provirus resolution, leveraging advanced molecular and cellular assays to dissect the viral, host, and epigenetic factors that shape proviral expression and reservoir behavior. By systematically characterizing how different stimuli modulate the transcriptional landscape of the reservoir, this research will generate foundational insights into the determinants of proviral activity and persistence, informing future therapeutic strategies aimed at durable HIV remission.

Responsibilities

• Conducts scientific research to advance understanding of HIV latency and reservoir dynamics.
• Applies principles and techniques of molecular virology and immunology to investigate latency reversal mechanisms.
• Works under supervision of senior scientists to develop and optimize assays for proviral quantification, transcriptional profiling, and integration site mapping.
• Designs and implements experiments using primary CD4+ T cells from ART-suppressed individuals to evaluate transcriptional responses to relevant stimuli
• Collaborates with internal and external teams to integrate sequencing, flow cytometry, and single-cell transcriptomics.
• May advise research associates or project team members in the initiation and execution of laboratory experiments.

Qualifications

• Required: PhD in molecular virology, immunology, cell biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Required: Ability to develop methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
• Required: Technical proficiency, scientific creativity, collaboration with others, and independent thought in suggesting experimental design and research strategy.
• Required: Strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Required: Must be able to participate in highly effective teams.
• Preferred: Experience with HIV molecular assays (e.g., IPDA, CA-RNA, near full-length sequencing) and primary cell culture.

Education

• PhD in molecular virology, immunology, cell biology, or a related scientific discipline.