Post Doctoral.Post Doctoral.AssociateUniversity of Pittsburgh

Postdoctoral Associate #5 – Benam Lab – Human Hepatic Models and Metabolism Studies

The Benam Lab (https://www.benamlab.net/) at the University of Pittsburgh Departments of Medicine and Bioengineering is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate to join an interdisciplinary research program focused on developing and applying advanced human-relevant in vitro models to study systemic biology and therapeutic responses. The successful candidate will contribute to cutting-edge research at the interface of microphysiological systems (Organs-on-Chips), pharmacology, and translational biomedical science.

This position emphasizes the use of liver-based and interconnected microphysiological systems to model drug metabolism, biotransformation, and systemic therapeutic responses under physiologically relevant conditions, with integration into multi-organ platforms to enable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses.

Responsibilities

The Postdoctoral Associate will play a key intellectual and technical role in the research program. Responsibilities include:

• Establish and maintain liver-based microphysiological systems using primary or relevant hepatic cell systems

• Design and execute studies evaluating drug metabolism, biotransformation, and hepatocellular responses under controlled experimental conditions

• Perform and optimize assays to assess metabolic activity, enzyme function, and liver-specific functional readouts

• Support multi-organ integration studies to enable PK/PD analyses across interconnected in vitro systems

• Contribute to development and refinement of experimental workflows to enhance reproducibility and physiological relevance

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate metabolic data with complementary organ systems and analytical platforms

• Support data generation, analysis, and interpretation, including integration of findings across studies

• Maintain accurate and detailed documentation of experimental procedures and results

• Contribute to preparation of manuscripts, reports, and grant applications

• Mentor trainees and assist in training of laboratory personnel as needed

Qualifications

Required:

• Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Hepatology, Biomedical Engineering, Physiology, or a related field

• Experience with liver biology, metabolism, or in vitro model systems

• Strong background in experimental design and quantitative analysis

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Preferred:

• Experience with drug metabolism, biotransformation, or PK/PD studies

• Familiarity with liver functional assays and metabolic profiling

• Experience with Organs-on-Chips or integrated tissue models

• Experience working in interdisciplinary teams integrating biology, engineering, and pharmacology

Interested applicants, please apply through https://www.join.pitt.edu Requisition #26001852

The University of Pittsburgh is an equal opportunity employer / disability / veteran.