Join Our Lab
Postdoc Wanted!
A postdoctoral fellow position is available to highly motivated candidates with a background in cancer research, molecular or cellular biology, immunology or tumor microenvironment studies. Projects will focus on prostate cancer genetics and biology, with a special interest in crosstalk between cancer cells and immune components in the tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche.
A Ph.D. degree in cancer biology, molecular biology, immunology or equivalent is required. Applicants with a strong publication record and relevant research experience in oncogenic signaling, tumor microenvironment, immunology and computational biology are preferred. We highly value hard work, curiosity, innovation, teamwork and professional development, all of which are combined with a healthy work-life balance. The postdoctoral candidate is expected to join the lab in 2026. The research directions include:
- Characterizing the genetic events that drive prostate cancer development, metastatic progression and therapy resistance
- Identifying genetic determinants that reshape the tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche
- Developing biomarker-driven immunotherapies and combinatorial strategies for precision cancer medicine
The principal investigator of our laboratory is Dr. Di Zhao, Associate Professor of Experimental Radiation Oncology at UT MD Anderson. Her highly productive doctoral and postdoctoral research led to several first-author research articles in Cancer Cell (2013), JCI (2014), Nature (2017) and Cancer Discovery (2020). In 2019, Dr. Zhao started her independent laboratory at UT MD Anderson. Combining state-of-the-art genetically engineered mouse modeling systems and single-cell multi-omics, her team has successfully characterized several genetic and epigenetic determinants that drive prostate cancer progression, tumor microenvironment remodeling and resistance to therapies, which were published in Nature Cancer (2025), Science Translational Medicine (2023), Nature Communications (2026 & 2025), Cancer Research (2022) and Oncogene (2026). Dr. Zhao has received numerous awards and grants, including the K99/R00 Award, CPRIT Recruitment Award, NIH/NCI R01s, Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award and DoD Prostate Cancer Idea Development Award, among others.
Please send a CV, a cover letter stating research interests and career goals and names and contact information of three references to:
Di Zhao, Ph.D.
Email: DZhao2@MDAnderson.org
UT MD Anderson
Experimental Radiation Oncology
6565 MD Anderson Blvd.
Unit 1052
Houston, TX 77030
Dr. Zhao’s faculty profile page
Zhao Lab Website
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center offers NIH-standard postdoctoral salaries and excellent benefits in a smoke- and drug-free workplace. UT MD Anderson is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from underrepresented groups.
2023 Zhao Lab Team