Applicants are being accepted for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows for training in theoretical and practical approaches to the use of animal models, immunology, molecular and cell biology, and functional genomics to analyze problems in virology. 

The increased incidence of newly emerging viruses such as HIV, West Nile Virus, SARS, and Monkeypox as well as re-emerging viruses such as Flu highlights the need to train new investigators to study these important pathogens.  The field of virology is a dynamic discipline that has significantly changed over the past decade requiring investigators to have background knowledge in many different areas of science including cell biology, signaling, protein and nucleic acid biochemistry, immunology, structural biology, the use of virus as vectors in gene therapy, animal models and the emerging area of functional genomics that encompasses microarray transcriptome analysis, proteomics, and bioinformatic approaches. The goal of this program is therefore to train aspiring scientists in these disciplines to ready them for a successful career in virology.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES:

• Trainee Citizenship:  The individual to be trained must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of the appointment.
• Predoctoral Trainees:  All students accepted to the Virology Training Grant  will be part of the PMCB graduate program at OHSU.  Candidates for admission to the PMCB must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and meet the entrance standards of OHSU, which are based on Graduate Record Exams, grade point averages and letters of evaluation.   After completion of the first year, PMCB students choose a mentor and a departmental or institute affiliation for the remainder of their graduate training.  To be eligible for the Virology Training grant students must (a) choose the lab of a training grant faculty member and (b) have passed the comprehensive exam at the end of the first year of the PMCB program; (c) must have taken at least one of the elective courses in virology or immunology.
• Postdoctoral Fellows:  Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D. or Ph.D./M.D. within two years prior to application and will be selected based on scientific quality and significance of their research proposal, letters from their current and previous mentors and publication record.   Documentation by an authorized official of the degree-granting institution certifying all degree requirements have been met prior to the beginning date of the training appointment is acceptable.

PREDOCTORAL TRAINEE applicants should submit:

• A one-page proposal written by the student describing the student’s proposed thesis research plus a paragraph on career plans;
• A letter of from mentor;
• Two additional letters of recommendation;
• A CV or resume;
• A copy of university transcript.

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS  applicants should submit:

• A three-page proposal written by the applicant describing his or her proposed research, including a paragraph on career plans;
• A paragraph describing previous research accomplishments;
• A letter of support from current PI or mentor;
• Two additional letters of recommendation;
• A  CV or resume.

DEADLINE:  September 28, 2009

Please submit applications and direct questions to Valerie Charles, Administrative Director, Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute.  Email: charlesv@ohsu.edu; telephone (503) 418-2704.