Overview Post-doctoral Fellow in Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine & Advanced Therapeutics
We invite applicants for the Post-doctoral Fellow in Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine & Advanced Therapeutics at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong. We aim to recruit several postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, a lab technician and a research officer to join the international lab led by Professor Khuloud Al-Jamal, Chair of Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine. The lab focuses on using nanotechnology to better understand, diagnose and treat diseases, with emphasis on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Research projects include extracellular vesicles & cell therapy, immunotherapy, and nucleic acids therapeutics for brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Responsibilities Design and develop small molecules, nucleic acids and peptide therapeutics.
Design, prepare and characterize nanoparticles.
Apply state-of-the-art techniques to assess physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, including stability, drug release kinetics, encapsulation efficiency and electron microscopy imaging.
Integrate innovative approaches to enhance specificity and efficiency of advanced therapeutics, addressing tissue penetration and targeted delivery challenges.
Conduct cell culture studies using cell lines, primary cultures and/or patient tissues for efficacy evaluation.
Conduct in vivo studies, including administration of nanoparticles, monitoring fate, therapeutic response, and impact on disease progression.
Develop relevant disease models to assess therapeutic efficacy of specific treatments.
Demonstrate understanding of disease pathology to inform design of advanced therapeutics.
Coordinate with clinical collaborators to obtain ethical approvals and human tissue samples for studies.
Engage in collaborative projects internally and externally.
Periodically report progress to PI, co-investigators, project collaborators and funders.
Initiate and contribute to grant writing activities.
Write study-specific procedures for analytical methods, protocols, and reports; provide training on processes and equipment.
Supervise and co-supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Disseminate findings through preparation of research articles and presentations at international conferences.
Foster an agile and collaborative working environment within the research group.
Qualifications and Skills Education and Expertise Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Bioengineering, Chemistry, Data Science or related fields.
Post-doctorate experience preferred.
Proven track record in high-quality biological or chemical research.
Demonstrated history of writing reports and scientific articles based on research results.
Research Skills Strong background in pre-clinical studies, image-guided delivery, nucleic acid therapeutics, targeting and therapeutic aptamers/peptides, immunotherapy, RNA biology, nose-to-brain delivery, blood-brain barrier targeting, nanoparticle formulation, peptide therapeutics, T cell therapy, extracellular vesicles, cancer vaccines, brain cancer, motor neuron disease, protein corona, hydrogels, and gene therapy/editing.
Hands-on experience in advanced cell culture techniques and in vivo models.
Proficiency in PCR, gels, Western blotting, Immunohistochemistry, ELISA and flow cytometry; immune profiling.
Experience in bioconjugations.
Desirable Skills In-vivo tracking modalities and imaging techniques for monitoring drug delivery dynamics.
Experience with patient tissue handling and culturing, brain cancer surgical implantation, cryo-electron microscopy, transcriptomics, proteomics, single-cell sequencing and bioinformatics, iPSC-derived cells, tissue organoids and/or tissue slices, LC-MS and other analytical techniques.
Administrative and Collaborative Skills Ability to manage a research programme financially and administratively under the guidance of the Principal Investigator.
Ability to work independently, collaborate within a team, and supervise students.
High attention to detail in experimental design and execution; willingness to adapt to new procedures and undergo training as necessary.
Language and Technical Competence Excellent command of written and spoken English.
Capable of writing grants and contributing to funding acquisition.
Proficient IT skills for data management and communication within the research programme.
What We Offer The appointment will commence as soon as possible on a temporary basis for 1 year, with the possibility of renewal up to 3 years, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability. A highly competitive salary will be offered, with other benefits including annual leave, medical benefits and free access to on-campus gyms and libraries. Those who have previously responded to the advertisement (Ref: 526276) need not re-apply.
How To Apply The University only accepts online applications. Applicants should apply online at the University’s Careers site (https://jobs.hku.hk) and upload an up-to-date CV. Review of applications will start as soon as possible and continue until September 30, 2025 or until the post(s) is/are filled, whichever is earlier.
The University is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to equality, ethics, inclusivity, diversity and transparency.
Advertised Jul 8, 2025 (HK Time)
Applications close Sep 30, 2025 (HK Time)
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