Job Description

At Cleveland Clinic Health System, we believe in a better future for healthcare. And each of us is responsible for honoring our commitment to excellence, pushing the boundaries and transforming the patient experience, every day.

We all have the power to help, heal and change lives — beginning with our own. That’s the power of the Cleveland Clinic Health System team, and The Power of Every One.

Job Title

Postdoctoral Fellow - Olumuyiwa Awoniyi Lab

Location

Cleveland

Facility

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Department

Job Code

X1004

Shift

Variable

Schedule

12:00am-12:00amHighly motivated individuals with a PhD or MD/PhD in relevant area are encouraged to apply. This training position, under the direct supervision of a Cleveland Clinic Principal Investigator will provide practical training and experience in a research setting. This position is appointed through Cleveland Clinic Research. The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate a commitment to research, a collaborative work ethic and strong communication skills, both written and verbal. This program is expected to be completed within 5 years. Compensation follows the NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Salary Scale based on total years of postdoctoral experience.

NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Salary Scale

Years of Experience: Stipend for FY 2026

0: $63,480
1: $63,900
2: $64,380
3: $66,948
4: $69,180
5: $71,748
6: $74,424
7 or More: $77,076

The Awoniyi Laboratory studies how the gut microbiome and its metabolites shape host immunity across the gut–liver axis in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and PSC-associated colitis — a progressive cholestatic liver disease and the inflammatory bowel disease that so often accompanies it. Working at the bench and in the vivarium, we use germ-free and gnotobiotic mouse models, defined bacterial communities, and multidimensional immune and metabolomic profiling to connect specific microbes and metabolites to intestinal and hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer risk. Our recent work has defined protective commensals and short-chain fatty acids that restrain hepatobiliary injury, and pathobionts that drive it; our long-term aim is to translate these mechanisms into therapies for diseases that today have few.

We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow to lead a defined line of investigation within our funded research program, at the intersection of mucosal and hepatic immunology and microbial metabolomic evaluation. The successful candidate will design and drive experiments that dissect how microbial metabolites reprogram intestinal and liver immune responses, contributing directly to active grant-supported projects while building an independent body of work and a competitive path to fellowship and faculty positions. Project specifics will be shared with shortlisted candidates.

Please note: this is a hands-on, wet-bench basic-science position. It is not a clinical research, clinical-trials, or coordinator role — the work centers on immune cells, tissues, microbes, metabolites, and mouse models, not patient enrollment, consent, or regulatory operations. A PhD (or MD/PhD) in a relevant laboratory discipline is required.

Who we’re looking for
• A PhD or MD/PhD (completed, or expected within ~6 months) in immunology, microbiology, microbiome science, metabolomics, molecular or cell biology, or a closely related discipline
• A strong record of rigorous research, including at least one first-author publication (published or in press)
• Hands-on expertise in one or more of: mucosal or hepatic immunology, flow cytometry/cell sorting, mouse models (and IACUC-regulated work), gnotobiotics, microbiome or microbial genomics, or metabolomics/mass spectrometry. We don’t expect all of these — we expect depth in some and the drive to learn the rest.
• Comfort with quantitative data; interest in computational or bioinformatic analysis is a plus
• What matters most: scientific rigor, independence and creativity, strong written and verbal communication, and the collegiality to thrive in a team
What we offer
• A defined, fundable project within an active grant portfolio — and the mentorship of a physician-scientist committed to your transition to independence, including support for F32, K99/R00, and other career-development awards
• Deep, hands-on training across a broad platform: gnotobiotics, multiparameter flow cytometry, NanoString and other gene-expression profiling, microbial genomics, and metabolomics
• First-author authorship, national conference presentation, and co-investigator experience on funded work — within one of the world’s leading research enterprises, on translational questions that reach directly into the clinic
• A collaborative environment with outstanding core facilities and a deep network of immunology, microbiome, and hepatology investigators

Why Cleveland
You’ll do better here than the coasts let you. A research salary actually affords a real apartment in a walkable neighborhood: University Circle puts world-class museums, the Cleveland Orchestra, and Little Italy within a few blocks of the lab. Lake Erie, a 23,000-acre ring of Metroparks, a serious food and music scene, and pro sports are all minutes away. Short commutes mean your time outside the lab is actually yours. It’s a city that’s easy to put down roots and build a career and a life in.

Principal Investigator: Olumuyiwa Awoniyi, MD

Cleveland Clinic Research Department: Inflammation and Immunity

Lab Research Topics:

• Animal husbandry
• IACUC protocol experience
• Molecular lab experience
• Flow cytometric experience
• Microbiology

For more information about the lab's research, please visit: https://www.lerner.ccf.org/inflammation-immunity/awoniyi/ or contact Dr. Awoniyi at awoniyo@ccf.org

Responsibilities:

• Independent project design with the goal of data generation, analysis, interpretation and manuscript preparation
• Lead a focused project within the lab’s funded program in host immunology of the gut–liver axis and microbial metabolomic evaluation — from hypothesis and design through analysis and publication
• Apply and extend immunologic approaches — multiparameter flow cytometry and cell sorting, immune-cell isolation and functional assays, tissue immunostaining, and targeted gene-expression profiling — across intestinal and hepatic compartments
• Integrate microbial and metabolomic readouts (short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and related metabolites) with host immune phenotypes using germ-free and gnotobiotic models and defined bacterial communities
• Analyze and interpret complex datasets, present at lab and national meetings, prepare first-author manuscripts, and contribute to grant applications

Education:

• PhD or MD/PhD required
• MD with relevant laboratory experience may substitute for PhD

Languages:

• English Proficiency proof required for candidates arriving on J-1, J-2, or F1 + OPT visa status

Work Experience:

• Previous experience in a research or academic setting. Graduate student experience meets this requirement.
• Scientific writing experience

Additional Preferred Qualities:

• Help mentor junior trainees and contribute to a rigorous, collaborative lab culture

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to perform work in a stationary position for extended periods
• Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment
• Ability to communicate and exchange accurate information
• Ability to distinguish color
• Manual dexterity to handle specimens and repair equipment
• Ability to lift and transport equipment or specimens weighing up to 20 pounds
• May be exposed to hazardous chemicals, bio-hazards, radioactive materials, etc.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• PPE per institutional requirements; may vary by laboratory

Preferred Application Materials:

• To apply send (1) a brief cover letter describing your research experience, interests, and what draws you to this work, (2) a CV with publications, and (3) the names and contact information for three references to awoniyo@ccf.org.

Keywords:

Gut–liver axis, mucosal immunology, hepatic immunology, microbial metabolomics, PSC-associated colitis, germ-free mice, gnotobiotics, defined bacterial communities, cell sorting, immune-cell assays, bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, mass spectrometry, microbial genomics, NanoString, liver fibrosis, hepatobiliary inflammation

The policy of Cleveland Clinic Health System and its system hospitals (Cleveland Clinic Health System) is to provide equal opportunity to all of our caregivers and applicants for employment in our drug free environment. All offers of employment are followed by testing for controlled substances.

Cleveland Clinic Health System administers an influenza prevention program. You will be required to comply with this program, which will include obtaining an influenza vaccination on an annual basis or obtaining an approved exemption.

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Cleveland Clinic is pleased to be an equal employment opportunity employer.