The Eshelman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Fellowship Overview and Eligibility
Fellowship Overview and Eligibility
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The Eshelman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy supports the training of highly motivated and ambitious scholars who have a strong desire to become leaders in academia, industry, or government, and change the healthcare landscape with groundbreaking research, bold ideas, and innovations. This two-year fellowship is open to exceptional graduate students and early postdoctoral scholars with doctoral degrees (PhD, PharmD, MD, etc.), unique capabilities, intellectual curiosity, 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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Why choose the Eshelman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship?
- Salary and Benefits
- Annual stipend of $75,000.
- Full coverage of medical insurance premiums for the individual scholar.
- Vision benefits included in the medical insurance plan.
- $3,000 for relocation and/or other moving expenses, when applicable.
- Bridge to research-intensive careers in academia, industry, or government that will:
- Provide the knowledge, research experience, and professional skills to become a coveted candidate, regionally, nationally and globally, for academic, industry, or government positions (such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, etc.).
- Extraordinary opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research at the #1 School of Pharmacy in the US with global partnerships to prepare for future global leadership roles.
- Multidisciplinary research environment that will prepare the postdoctoral scholar to succeed and attain leadership roles in diverse careers. UNC anchors one corner of North Carolina’s famed Research Triangle Park, which hosts an abundance of pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare companies. Additionally, UNC is in close proximity to the Research Triangle Institute, Duke University, North Carolina State University (NC State), North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. UNC is home to the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of 40 National Cancer Institute-designated centers in the US, as well as five Health Affairs Schools, namely, Medicine, Public Health, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Nursing. Furthermore, a US FDA Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (Triangle CERSI) has been established at UNC, in partnership with Duke University, and collaboration with NC State and NCCU, and the UNC Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Data Science and Society. The CERSI program will facilitate research collaborations between FDA scientists and researchers at academic institutions in the Triangle, to advance regulatory science. This elaborate and extensive multidisciplinary environment, along with outstanding core facilities on campus, offers abundant opportunities for networking and collaboration in research.
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Fellows will have the opportunity to:
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Resources to Support Fellows
- Grant Writing and Grantsmanship Resources to compete for NIH Fellowships and Awards that will facilitate transition to an independent faculty position (e.g., K99/R00, DP5).
- NC TraCS offers seminars and training on grant writing and grantsmanship, and assists with the preparation of NIH K awards/other mentored career development awards.
- Funding Information Portal provides resources to assist in writing grant applications.
- In partnership with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Office of Research Development provides postdoctoral proposal support to help with the preparation of applications to extramural sponsors.
- The Odum Institute assists with proposal development, such as formulating research questions, research design, and data analyses.
- State-of-the-Art Core Facilities that offer advanced technologies, high-end instrumentation, technical support, and assistance with experimental design and data analyses.
- Career and Professional Development Resources
- The Center for Innovative Pharmacy Education and Research (CIPhER) in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy provides those engaged in scholarship and research, including postdoctoral trainees, the training, tools, and support needed to design, implement, publish, and disseminate their work.
- Human Resources Organization and Professional Development offers training opportunities in communication, leadership, and project management skills.
- Office of Postdoctoral Affairs provides career and professional development services, such as individual career coaching, individual development plans, workshops, seminars, career resources, and networking opportunities.
- UNC Office of Technology Commercialization offers professional opportunities for postdoctoral fellows, such as internships and fellowship programs, that provide exposure to technology transfer and commercialization of UNC intellectual property.
- Work/life Balance and Well-being Resources to help postdoctoral scholars manage their physical, emotional, and mental well-being, and achieve a healthy balance between work and personal life.
Faculty mentors in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy who are seeking to hire postdoctoral fellows through this fellowship have posted a description of their research programs and current research projects, including their contact information below.
| Interested applicants must submit an application with a description of their research in 200 words or less (uploaded as the “Research Statement” document in the application portal), and the names of up to two potential faculty mentors (from the faculty list below) in whose labs they are interested in conducting postdoctoral training. A CV and personal statement (uploaded as the “Cover Letter” document in the application portal) should also be uploaded via the online application portal. The CV should include evidence of productivity in scholarship (publications [particularly first author and/or senior author], presentations at conferences, etc.), and evidence of regional or national recognition (e.g., pre-doctoral fellowships, pilot grants, and research and/or travel awards). The personal statement should address how the applicant’s prior research experience will be enhanced by the postdoctoral training in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the role of this training in the applicant’s career aspirations. The personal statement should be no longer than one page, with 11-point Arial font, single-spaced, and 1-inch margins. Incomplete applications and/or non-compliant personal statements will not be considered. |  |
https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/296374The application deadline is Wednesday March 5, 2025.
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Applications will be reviewed first by the selected faculty mentor(s) to assess the applicant’s research background and skills, productivity, career ambition, communication skills, and alignment with the relevant research program. Selected applicants will be contacted by the faculty mentor for an interview to discuss the postdoctoral position. Following the interview, applicants who are short listed will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation. A selection committee will make the final award to one applicant each year.
For inquiries concerning this fellowship, please contact: Dr. Robert McGinty (rmcginty@email.unc.edu), Director of Postdoctoral Programs.
Faculty Accepting Fellows
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Albert Bowers, Ph.D.Vice Chair and Professor We are focused on advancing macrocycle-based therapeutics by integrating insights from natural products with cutting-edge discovery technologies. Our research aims to address key challenges in developing macrocycles for drugging difficult targets, with an emphasis on synthesis, screening, and mechanistic understanding. Currently, the lab is working on several projects aimed at improving macrocycle drug-like properties, developing bivalent macrocycles for multi-target engagement, and expanding screening capabilities to the cell surface. Macrocycles with Improved Drug-Like Properties. While macrocycles hold great potential for targeting challenging proteins, their clinical utility is often limited by poor oral bioavailability, rapid clearance, and low cell penetration. We are developing chemical and biochemical strategies to enhance the diversity and biophysical properties of mRNA display macrocycle libraries, making them more suitable as orally available alternatives to current antibody-based therapies. Bivalent Macrocycles for Multi-Target Engagement. Macrocycles are well-suited for simultaneously engaging multiple targets, making them powerful candidates for molecular glues and targeted protein degradation. Our lab leverages mRNA display to identify macrocycles that can recruit specific targets for ubiquitination or other post-translational modifications, opening new avenues for therapeutic intervention. Direct Screening of Macrocycle Libraries Against Cell Surfaces. Many therapeutically relevant cell surface targets remain inaccessible to conventional screening methods. We are developing novel variations of our mRNA display protocols that allow for direct functional selection against cell surface-expressed targets. These advancements enable us to not only identify binders but also discover new receptors involved in disease. While mRNA display technology is the foundation of our work, we are also integrating machine learning approaches to streamline library development and accelerate the identification of novel therapeutics. By combining high-throughput screening with computational analysis, we aim to efficiently expand the therapeutic potential of macrocycles.
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Kim Brouwer, Pharm.D., Ph.D.Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education The Brouwer laboratory continues to pioneer the development of in vitro tools to quantify hepatic drug disposition and biliary excretion, devise novel strategies to address key scientific questions regarding hepatic drug transport, and investigate the interplay between bile acids and hepatic transporters. Supported by an NIGMS MIRA grant, we seek to discover novel regulatory mechanisms of hepatic transporters and elucidate the role of cholangiocyte transporters in hepatic drug disposition and transporter-mediated drug interactions. We aim to advance transporter science by developing novel approaches and tools to improve functional assessment of transporters and to more accurately predict hepatic drug disposition in human health and disease. We seek an exceptional, highly motivated postdoctoral scholar to investigate the utility of in vitro models (e.g., hepatic organoid 3D cell models, sandwich-cultured hepatocytes, HuH-7 cells) to (1) examine hepatic transporter trafficking and regulatory mechanisms, and (2) predict the impact of drug- and disease-mediated alterations in transporter function on the hepatic disposition of drugs and metabolites. Requirements: PhD in cell/molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, engineering, or related discipline, and expertise in cell culture and advanced molecular biology/biochemistry techniques. Preference will be given to applicants with experience studying protein function/regulation, western blotting, cloning and mutagenesis, immunohistochemical imaging, and live cell imaging. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work independently as well as a member of an interdisciplinary team are essential.
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Stefanie Ferreri, Pharm.D., BCACP, FAPhAProfessor This two-year Community Practice Research Fellowship is open to highly motivated pharmacists. This fellowship is designed to provide the learner with a foundation in scholarship and practice pertaining to the implementation of clinical pharmacy services. This fellowship allows those who are passionate about the advancement of pharmacy practice models in the outpatient practice setting to train in a unique and progressive academic environment. The fellowship focuses on the tri-fold mission of pharmacy faculty: teaching, service, and scholarship. As such, the program will provide the fellow with a solid foundation to begin a productive career in academic pharmacy
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Kevin Frankowski, Ph.D.Assistant Professor The Frankowski Research Group is a medicinal and synthetic organic chemistry laboratory focusing on hit-to-lead and preclinical optimization of small molecule therapeutics and chemical probes. We harness our chemical synthesis expertise to solve emerging challenges facing modern medicine. This has led to ongoing collaborative projects for metastatic cancer and neuroscience targets. Selective anti-metastasis agents. Of particular interest is the development of next-generation anti-metastasis agents that build on the development of our first-in-class phase I human clinical trial candidate, metarrestin (NCT04222413). We are concurrently exploring three different approaches to improved compounds. These next-generation agents could expand the target patient population beyond drug-resistant/late-stage patients and provide chemical tools to elucidate metarrestin’s mechanism of action. Allosteric dopamine receptor modulators. In addition to highly conserved orthosteric sites, many GPCRs, including dopamine receptors, possess distinct and non-conserved allosteric sites. Thus, compounds that modulate receptors through interaction with an allosteric site have the potential to be exceptionally selective. Our lab is interested in the discovery and optimization of highly selective dopamine receptor modulators, which may be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia, substance use disorder, and the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Other current neuroscience projects include the development of non-opioid treatments for chronic pain and small molecule treatments for stroke and traumatic brain injury.
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Ryan Gumpper, Ph.D.Assistant Professor G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play an important role across many physiological systems (e.g., taste, vision, cardiac function, and neurotransmission). We are interested in the molecular mechanisms responsible for the nuanced signaling paradigms of GPCRs and how they lead to vastly different biological outcomes. Gaining atomistic insights into receptor-ligand interactions will enable us to design novel therapeutic compounds and molecular probes, either rationally or through computational approaches. As a model system, our lab study psychedelics. These compounds exhibit a complex polypharmacology, impacting the serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic receptor systems. Although we study all receptor systems affected by psychedelics, our primary focus is the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors. We aim to develop novel therapeutic approaches that exploit these systems to create safer and more effective compounds for pain relief and neuropsychiatric disorders. To interrogate these systems, the Gumpper lab utilizes state-of-the-art technologies and techniques in molecular pharmacology, structural biology, and computational biophysics. Molecular Pharmacology and Chemical Biology. We use various biochemical and pharmacological techniques to quantify the downstream signaling pathways and interaction partners related to GPCR activation. Additionally, we seek to fully characterize psychedelic polypharmacology (both structurally and mechanistically) and utilize those pathways to develop novel compounds for treating chronic pain, neuropsychiatric disorders, and substance use disorders. Structural Biology. We use cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the molecular interactions between a drug and its receptor. This provides valuable information for probing specific atomistic mechanisms that drive downstream signaling patterns and yield important interactions for structure-based drug design. In Silico Approaches. We use cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the molecular interactions between a drug and its receptor. This provides valuable information for probing specific atomistic mechanisms that drive downstream signaling patterns and yield important interactions for structure-based drug design.
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Robert McGinty, M.D., Ph.D.Director of Postdoctoral Programs
Research in the McGinty laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of signaling through chromatin in health and disease. The human genome is organized into a polymeric complex called chromatin, which requires cellular machineries to enact and regulate genome-templated processes, including gene expression, DNA replication, and DNA damage repair, all functioning within a chromatin context. These machineries often interact directly with the fundamental repeating unit of chromatin: the nucleosome. Due to the central role of genome-templated processes in establishing cellular identity and maintaining genomic integrity, chromatin-binding proteins are often dysregulated in diverse pathological states, especially cancer. The McGinty laboratory leverages expertise in structural biology (e.g., cryo-EM), protein chemistry, and proteomics to answer long-standing and fundamental questions in the field of chromatin biology. Key focus areas include:
The McGinty lab seeks an ambitious and highly motivated postdoctoral scholar with expertise in protein biochemistry, structural biology, and/or proteomics. Requirements: Applicants must have a PhD in Biochemistry or a related field and a proven track record of impactful research accomplishments. Preference will be given to applicants with experience using cryo-EM and other structural biology techniques.
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Eugene Muratov, Ph.D.Associate Professor Eugene N. Muratov, Ph.D., is an expert in the fields of computational medicinal chemistry, cheminformatics, and computational toxicology. His research combines the development of data science methodologies and tools with practical applications across various fields of science. Theoretical areas of his work include developing descriptors for compound mixtures, creating new workflows for biomolecular data curation and analysis, developing and applying knowledge graphs, establishing approaches for QSAR model validation, and integrating ligand- and structure-based approaches for drug discovery and computational toxicology into a cohesive pipeline. Muratov’s ongoing applied projects include antiviral and antimicrobial research, identification of compounds with desired polypharmacological profiles, modeling skin-related toxicities (sensitization, penetration, irritation, and corrosion), modeling and optimizing ADMET properties, and computer-aided molecular design of compounds with specific characteristics (such as antiviral activity or selectivity for certain receptors). As demonstrated by his extensive publication record (more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, 2 books, and 9 book chapters), Muratov’s research has had a significant impact on the fields of computational drug discovery and toxicology, where he uses QSAR modeling and other cheminformatics approaches to discover novel compounds with desired properties. In recent years, Muratov has expanded his research to explore biomedical knowledge graphs to discover functional connections between key biomedical entities. As an academic mentor, he has guided more than 30 undergraduate and graduate students across the USA, Ukraine, Moldova, and Brazil. In 2019, Muratov co-founded Predictive, LLC, a specialized company focused on developing novel alternative methods.
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Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D.Vice Chair and Professor The Nguyen lab is dedicated to translating cutting-edge research into life-changing therapies for patients suffering from cancer, myocardial infarction, colitis, and other diseases. Our interdisciplinary team of experts combines the power of molecular engineering, synthetic biology, and pharmaceutical sciences to develop genetically and molecularly engineered biotherapeutics that are safe, effective, and tailored to the individual needs of each patient. We are seeking individuals with interests in one or more of the following areas:
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Sachi Ozawa, Ph.D., M.H.S.Vice Chair and Associate Professor Our research at the Global Health Economics for Pharmacy (GHEP) is situated at the intersection of global health, pharmacy, public health, and health economics, applying economic tools to address a variety of health challenges. Specifically, we conduct costing analyses and develop modeled simulations to generate economic evidence aimed at solving population health problems related to medicines and vaccines. Our goal is to influence healthcare policy and practice to save lives, improve the quality of healthcare, and reduce poverty in low- and middle-income countries, as well as in the United States. One of our primary areas of focus is medicine quality. Substandard and falsified medicines pose significant risks to global health with far-reaching consequences. Beyond their direct effects on health, they also create economic burdens, such as wasted treatment costs, productivity losses for consumers, reduced sales and tax revenue, and the additional costs of combating counterfeiting. Estimating the economic impact of substandard and falsified medicines is crucial for making a compelling case for investment in solutions. We are working to quantify the global economic impact of these medicines and assess the return on investment of potential solutions. To do this, our team has developed agent-based models, including:
Another area of focus is the value of vaccination. While vaccines are widely regarded as one of the most cost-effective global health interventions, gaps still exist in the evidence base regarding their broader economic impact. For example, there is limited evidence on the role of vaccines in curbing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or the cost-effectiveness of vaccine communication interventions that could increase vaccination uptake. Demonstrating the economic value of vaccination is critical for ensuring continued investment in immunization programs and securing further funding for public health. Our team has developed the Dynamic Representation of the Economics of Antimicrobial Resistance (DREAMR) model to estimate the value of vaccination in controlling AMR. We are also building additional models to evaluate the value of communication interventions aimed at increasing the uptake of the human papillomavirus vaccine.
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Zhenwei Song, Ph.D.Assistant Professor We are focused on developing innovative AAV vector-based gene therapies to address the unmet needs of patients with rare diseases, bringing hope to individuals worldwide. While these therapies hold immense promise, challenges such as liver toxicity observed in clinical trials highlight the need to better understand and address the underlying mechanisms. In collaboration with the UNC Gene Therapy Center, we are advancing the development of more efficient and safer AAV vectors, specifically for hemophilia gene therapy. Join our team and contribute to cutting-edge research that has the potential to transform AAV gene therapy.
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Alexander Tropsha, Ph.D.K.H. Lee Distinguished Professor We have a strong interest in exploring knowledge mining for the problem known as drug repurposing or, in other words, establishing new medical uses for known drugs. Recently, we completed and published an exhaustive bibliometric analysis of the drug repurposing phenomenon. Our studies revealed that more than 30% of all drugs have been repurposed during their lifetime for at least one additional indication following their original approval, which suggests that more such uses can be discovered. As a proof of concept, in our previous studies, through knowledge mining and hypothesis fusion, we have identified Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) as potentially having plausible effect on memory and cognition, which was supported by independent clinical observations. Extending the power of knowledge-mining in diverse domains, our multidisciplinary team has developed ROBOKOP (Reasoning Over Biomedical Objects linked in Knowledge Oriented Pathways) as a novel computational approach and tool to support and accelerate scientific discovery. ROBOKOP answers, in a fully automated way, user queries through concurrent reasoning across diverse knowledge bases (KBs) by means of the ROBOKOP graph KB (GKB). We propose to enrich and expand current ROBOKOP KG by adding information and data on various biological entities associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) to create a knowledge graph focusing on AD. This new KG will enable us to mine various biological pathways associated with AD, especially those that include drugs and diseases that serve as risk factors for AD. To achieve this objective, we will augment literature evidence with assertions from public databases such as DrugBank and DrugCentral. We will explore a variety of computational knowledge graph mining approaches including rule mining, node2vec embedding, and Large Language Models (LLMs) to identify novel candidate treatments for AD. We will collaborate with experimental researchers at UNC and Duke to test these hypotheses. Approaches developed in our Knowledge Graph-driven drug repurposing project focusing on AD can be extended to other diseases.
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Jiawei Zhou, Ph.D.Assistant Professor The Zhou lab is focused on advancing mRNA-LNP therapeutics through innovative research. The lab is currently working on several key projects aimed at improving COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, understanding the impact of liver impairment on therapeutics, and addressing challenges in cancer vaccine development:
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