The Eshelman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities and is among the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (www.pharmacy.unc.edu) is one of six health science schools (Pharmacy, Nursing, Dentistry, Social Work, Public Health, Medicine) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is one of the oldest health science academic programs at Chapel Hill. The School teaches approximately 600 PharmD students and 145 graduate students. The School has built a reputation for its continued pursuit of excellence, rigorous education and training programs, cutting-edge multidisciplinary research, progressive pharmacy practices, efficient business operations, and its outstanding faculty, staff, and students. The School was named the number one School of Pharmacy in the U.S. by the U.S. News and World Report. The School has experienced unprecedented growth and success and continues to strategically position itself for sustained impact, as articulated in the School's Strategic Plan (https://pharmacy.unc.edu/about/oe/strategic-plan/).

Our Vision is to be the global leader in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Our Mission is to prepare leaders and innovators to solve the world's most pressing health care challenges. We are Advancing Medicine for Life through innovation and collaboration in pharmacy practice, education, research, and public service.

The Eshelman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy supports the training of highly motivated and ambitious scholars who have a strong desire to become leaders in healthcare and change the healthcare landscape with groundbreaking research and innovations. This is an extraordinary opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research at the #1 School of Pharmacy in the US, and acquire the knowledge, research experience, and professional skills needed for a successful career in academia, industry, or government. The close proximity of UNC to the Research Triangle Park, which hosts numerous pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare companies, and to Duke University, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University, provides trainees with abundant opportunities for research collaborations.

Postdoctoral scholars will have access to numerous resources, such as grant writing and grantsmanship, career and professional development, state-of-the-art core facilities, work/life balance and wellness. A detailed description of the fellowship can be found at https://faopharmacy.unc.edu/the-eshelman-distinguished-postdoctoral-fellowship-in-pharmaceutical-sciences/.

An outline of the research focus of faculty accepting trainees through this fellowship is listed below. Details of their research programs can be accessed using the link above.

Albert Bowers, Ph.D. We work on the development of methods and applications in the discovery of the next generation of peptide therapeutics.

Kim Brouwer, Pharm.D., Ph.D. Advancing hepatic drug transport research through in vitro models, transporter regulation, and biliary excretion to improve drug disposition predictions.

Stefanie Ferreri, Pharm.D., BCACP, FAPhA Offering a two-year Community Practice Research Fellowship for pharmacists, focusing on clinical pharmacy services, outpatient practice models, and preparing fellows for academic careers through teaching, service, and scholarship.

Kevin Frankowski, Ph.D. Medicinal and synthetic chemistry research, developing small molecule therapeutics for cancer, pain, and neurological disorders, with a focus on dopamine receptor modulation and non-opioid treatments.

Ryan Gumpper, Ph.D. Investigating GPCR signaling and psychedelic pharmacology to develop novel therapeutics for pain, neuropsychiatric disorders, and substance use disorders. Utilizing molecular pharmacology, structural biology (cryo-EM), and computational biophysics for drug discovery.

Robert McGinty, M.D., Ph.D. Investigating chromatin signaling, nucleosome interactions, and epigenetic regulation through structural biology, protein chemistry, and proteomics to advance understanding of genome function in health and disease.

Eugene Muratov, Ph.D. Advancing computational drug discovery and toxicology through data science and AI-driven drug discovery to design safer, more effective therapeutics.

Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D. Developing next-gen biotherapeutics for cancer, cardiac repair, and inflammatory bowel diseases to personalize treatments and improve outcomes.

Sachi Ozawa, Ph.D., M.H.S. Using economic modeling to address global health challenges, focusing on medicine quality, vaccines, and access in low- and middle-income countries.

Zhenwei Song, Ph.D. Advancing AAV gene therapies for rare diseases, focusing on liver toxicity and improving safety in hemophilia treatment.

Alexander Tropsha, Ph.D. Exploring biomedical data integrated in knowledge graphs to establish systematic approaches to drug repurposing and nominate drugs for validation in preclinical and clinical studies.

Jiawei Zhou, Ph.D. Pharmacometric modeling and experimental tools to optimize mRNA- LNP therapeutics to improve vaccine dosing, assess liver impacts, and address tumor heterogeneity for better efficacy and personalized treatments.

This fellowship is open to exceptional graduate students and early postdoctoral scholars with doctoral degrees (PhD, PharmD, MD, etc.), unique capabilities, intellectual diversity, and the potential to make a significant and sustained commitment and contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences.

Interested applicants should be completing their terminal doctoral degree within six months, and early postdoctoral scholars should hold a terminal doctoral degree for two years or less at the time of application.

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For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at (919) 962-9982 or send an email to opahr@unc.edu.

Please note: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.