Post-doc in Immunology

**Opportunity**

This three-year postdoctoral position in Professor Zaza Ndhlovu’ Group at AHRI in Durban, South Africa, is embedded in a recently awarded Bill and Melinda Gates-funded grant.

The project aims to contribute to the development of a preventive HIV vaccine that will be effective in eastern and southern African populations, which is the region that is disproportionately affected by HIV. Paucity of HLA data is a major huddle to our understanding genetic susceptibility to diseases in Africa. The long-term goal of the project is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of HLA association with HIV control and to determine HLA diversity in the region. The project will involve, i) generating HLA genotyping data for many individuals from diverse ethnicities in eastern and southern Africa, ii) creating a publicly available high resolution HLA database. This will be a collaborative project among 4 African countries, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, and South Africa.

By characterizing HLA allele and haplotype frequencies and networked epitopes combinations in eastern and southern Africa, this project will generate information regarding HLA usage in the region which will serve as an important resource for researchers developing new vaccines for diseases that are highly prevalent in the region such as HIV, HPV, and malaria.

**Minimum Qualifications**

**Minimum Experience**
- Experience in human genome sequencing or HLA typing and analysis.
- Experience in HIV sequencing and phylogenetic analysis
- Knowledge of infectious disease research is preferable but not essential (particularly HIV)
- Ability to prepare results for publication and draft own manuscripts.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Good interpersonal skills and team orientated.

**How to apply**

The salary for this position depends on previous experience and brackets are according to AHRI’s official scheme and NRF grades, which will be without tax deduction due to tax exemption status for postdoctoral fellows.

**About AHRI**

Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is an independent, transdisciplinary scientific research institute based across two campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa. AHRI’s vision is optimal health and well-being of under-resourced populations.

AHRI’s research combines population, basic, social, and medical sciences to understand and intervene in the health and well-being of South African communities.

The institute works in partnership with local communities and South African academic, governmental and other policy stakeholders. We emphasize training of the next generation of African scientists. AHRI collaborates with over 60 institutions globally.

The work lives of AHRI’s ~500 scientists, students and staff members are driven by our values**:ubuntu, transformation, leadership, innovation, excellence, and collaboration.