Faculty Positions & Postdoctoral Research Fellow,School of Medicine, Jinan University

About Jinan University

Founded in 1906, Jinan University (JNU, https://www.jnu.edu.cn/main.htm) is the first higher education institution in China founded by the government specifically for overseas Chinese, and is the member of the “211” project and “Double First-class” initiative in China.  JNU is the most international university in China, with the over 500,000 graduates from more than 170 countries and regions, earning a distinguished reputation worldwide. The university has made distinguished improvements in science, engineering, and medical fields alongside consolidated strengths in the humanities recently. According to ESI, Pharmacology & Toxicology ranks in the top 0.1%, 11 disciplines (Chemistry, Clinical Medicine, Engineering, Materials Science, Biology & Biochemistry, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science/Ecology, General Social Sciences, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Computer Science, Economics & Business ) rank in the top 0.5%, and 7 disciplines (Botany & Zoology, Neuroscience & Behavior, Earth Sciences, Microbiology, Immunology, Physics, Psychiatry & Psychology) rank in the top 1% worldwide. 

Jinan University has a robust faculty of 2,754 full-time teachers, including 10 Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences the Chinese Academy of Engineering(including part-time), 10 foreign academicians, 63 national leading talents, and 74 young national talents. Among them, 1,053 and 2,315 are supervisors of Doctor and master candidate, respectively.

About School of Medicine

School of Medicine in Jinan University was founded in 1978. The school offers the postdoctoral program of Basic Medicine, the Ph.D. program of Basic Medicine and the Master programs of Basic Medicine, Public Health and Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacology).

The school currently employs 181 faculty members, including 46 full professors and 57 associate professors. Among them, there are 39 doctoral supervisors and 80 master’s supervisors. The school has 1,565 students. At present, the school is managing 162 research projects with total funding of 67.16 million RMB.

The school has 11 teaching and research units for basic medical sciences: Department of Human Anatomy，Department of Histology and Embryology，Department of Physiology，Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology，Department of Microbiology and Immunology，Department of Pathogen Biology，Department of Pathology，Department of Pathophysiology，Department of Pharmacology，Department of Bioinformatics and Department of Genetics.

The school hosts 4 key research institutions, including: 

• Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology (National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
• Key Laboratory of Virus Pathogenesis and Control (Ministry of Education)
• Guangdong Small RNA Drug Development Engineering Technology Research Center
• Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Geriatric Science

Research Areas for Teaching and Research Positions:

Applicants from the following priority areas are encouraged to apply: Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Physiology, Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology, Pathophysiology, Bioinformatics, Genetics, Public health and Preventive medicine.

Qualifications and requirement：

Teaching and Research Positions:

• Engaged in cutting-edge scientific research in the field of medicine or life sciences.
• Experience as an Associate Professor or higher in renowned universities or research institutions; or recognition as a national-level talent or leader in major national projects and research programs is preferred.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire research teams. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary research teams.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow:

• Age limit of 35 years;
• Hold a doctoral degree with no more than 3 years since graduation;
• Graduates with doctoral degrees from prestigious universities, with a strong research background, problem-solving skills, and a passion for scientific research.

Research Team for Postdoctoral Fellow:

1. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Feng Gao  Email: fenggao@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：Viral genetic variation and evolution, vaccine, drug resistance, oncolytic viruses, new technologies for detection of microorganisms.

Recent Publications:

1.Improvement of B cell responses by an HIV-1 amphiphilic polymer nanovaccine. Nano Letters. 23:4090–4094 2023

2.Development of Neutralization Breadth against Diverse HIV-1 by Increasing Ab-Ag Interface on V2. Adv Sci. 2022 Mar 23;e2200063.

3.Different evolutionary pathways of HIV-1 between fetus and mother perinatal transmission pairs indicate unique immune selection pressure in fetuses. Cell Reports Medicine, 2021 16;2(7):100315.

2. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Jun Fan  Email: fanjun@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：He mainly engages in researching the molecular mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming in tumor and leukemia cells and developing small molecule drugs for new targets.

Recent Publications:

1.Metabolomic analyses reveals new stage-specific features of the COVID-19. Eur Respir J (2021). Jul 21;2100284.

2. Identification and validation of predictive factors for progression to severe COVID-19 pneumonia by proteomics. Signal Transduct Target Ther (2020). Oct 3;5(1):217. doi: 10.1038/s41392-020-00333-1.

3.Prevention of dietary fat-fueled ketogenesis attenuates BRAF V600E-positive melanoma Cell Metabolism (2017) Feb 7;25(2):358-373.

3. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Guobing Chen  Email: guobingchen@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：1.Phenotypic and Mechanistic Studies of Human T Cell Development and Senescence; 2.Research on Dedifferentiation of Aged Human T Cells; 3.Investigation of T Cell Roles in Age-Related Diseases and Therapeutic Approaches.

Recent Publications:

1.Multidimensional single-cell analysis of human peripheral blood reveals characteristic features of the immune system landscape in aging and frailty. Nature Aging 2022, 2(4): 348-364.

2. Insufficient epitope-specific T cell clones are responsible for impaired cellular immunity to inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in older adults. Nature Aging. 2023, 3: 418–435.

3.Global analysis of HLA-A2 restricted MAGE-A3 tumor antigen epitopes and corresponding TCRs in non-small cell lung cancer. Theranostics 2023; 13(13):4449-4468.

4. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Geyang Xu  Email: xugeyangliang@163.com

Research Area：I am engaged in research focused on gastrointestinal endocrine functions and energy metabolism, particularly exploring the mechanosensation and energy-sensing mechanisms of gastrointestinal endocrine cells, such as ghrelin cells and L cells, and their roles in regulating energy homeostasis. This research aims to develop new strategies for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. 

Recent Publications:

1.Gastric mechanosensitive channel Piezo1 regulates ghrelin production and food intake. Nature Metabolism, 2024 Mar;6(3):458-472.

2.Mechano-regulation of GLP-1 production by Piezo1 in intestinal L cells. eLife, 2024 Nov 7;13:RP97854.

3.Mechanosensing by Piezo1 in gastric ghrelin cells contributes to hepatic lipid homeostasis in mice, Science Signaling, 2024 Oct 22;17(859).

5. Lab Heads/Team leaders: Prof. Guang Wang, Prof. Xuesong Yang Email: wangguang7453@126.com; yang_xuesong@126.com

Research Area: Mechanisms by which changes in the developmental microenvironment lead to the occurrence of congenital diseases; Protection against diseases during pregnancy and congenital diseases; Applications of stem cell derivatives in regenerative medicine.

Recent Publications:

1.Atg7 autophagy-independent role on governing neural stem cell fate could be potentially applied for regenerative medicine. Cell Death Differ. 2024.

2.Overexpressed trophoblast glycoprotein contributes to preeclampsia development by inducing abnormal trophoblast migration and invasion toward the uterine spiral artery. Hypertension. 2024 Jul;81(7):1524-1536.

3.Atractylenolide-I Alleviates Hyperglycemia-Induced Heart Developmental Malformations through Direct and Indirect Modulation of the STAT3 Pathway. Phytomedicine. 2024 Jul:129:155698.

6. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Haitao Niu  Email: htniu@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：The Niu’s Lab is focusing on microbiota study, including the correlation of  immune system with gut microbiota, the mechanism on how microbiota influence the development of autoimmune diseases, and the establishment of novel animal models with gene manipulation.

Recent Publications:

1.Ultrathin and Biodegradable Bismuth Oxycarbonate Nanosheets with Massive Oxygen Vacancies for Highly Efficient Tumor Therapy. Small. 2024 Mar 3:e2307974.

2.Oxymatrine inhibits melanoma development by modulating the immune microenvironment and targeting the MYC/PD-L1 pathway.  International Immunopharmacology 2023 Oct 1;124.

3.Causality of Opportunistic Pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae to Hypertension Development. Hypertension. 2022 Dec;79(12):2743-2754.       

7. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Hao Zhang  Email: haozhang@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：His research interests are focusing on innovative mechanism of cancer evolution and relevant theranostics. His major contributions are defining protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) as regulators of inflammation-cancer transitions, therefore developing the therapeutic strategy targeting “undruggable” PTPs; he also proposed aberrant RNA splicing (ARP) as driving mechanism for mutation-independent cancers, and ARP-derived chimeric RNAs/proteins as diagnostic markers and therapy targets; he leading his team has developed several exosome-based liquid biopsies and cancer vaccines. 

Recent Publications:

1.Salivary Extracellular MicroRNAs for Early Detection and Prognostication of Esophageal Cancer: A Clinical Study. Gastroenterology 2023, 165(4):932-945.e939.

2. Splice variant of growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor drives esophageal squamous cell carcinoma conferring a therapeutic target. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020, 117(12):6726-6732.

3. Low-Dose Metformin Reprograms the Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Human Esophageal Cancer: Results of a Phase II Clinical Trial. Clin Cancer Res 2020, 26(18):4921-4932.

8. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Tao Liu  Email: gztt_2002@163.com

Research Area：Environmental epidemiology;Chronic disease epidemiology.

Recent Publications:

1.Association of Residential Greenness Exposure with Depression Incidence in Adults 50 Years of Age and Older: Findings from the Cohort Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health(SAGE) in China. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2024;132(6)：067004.

2.Long-Term Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 and Age-Related Cataracts among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence from Two National Cohort Studies. Environmental Science & Technology. 2023; 57(32).

3.Urban-rural disparity of the short-term association of PM2.5 with mortality and its attributable burden. Innovation. 2021; 2(4):100171.

9. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Yangqiu Li  Email: jnyangqiuli@ 163.com

Research Area：Cancer targeted and immunotherapy, Cancer related T cell immunodeficiency, immunosuppressive and immune reconstruction of hematological malignancies, specific anti-leukemia cellular immune based on T cell repertoire characterization, and molecular characterization of gene alterations and targeted therapy in leukemia.

Recent Publications:

1.BRD4 inhibitor reduces exhaustion and blocks terminal differentiation in CAR-T cells by modulating BATF and EGR1. Biomark Res, 2024,12:124.

2.BET bromodomain inhibition rescues PD-1-mediated T cell exhaustion in acute myeloid leukemia. Cell Death Dis, 2022, 13:671.

3. Single-cell RNA-seq of T cells in B-ALL patients reveals an exhausted subset with remarkably heterogeneity. Adv Sci, 2021,8(19):e2101447.

10. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Qingsong Mei  Email:qsmei@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：His research focuses on the development of nano-optogenetic probes for in vivo molecular imaging and regulating pathological processes of major diseases. With his outstanding work, he was awarded by the Excellent Youth Science Foundation of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Recent Publications:

1. Interface Allocation Precisely Customized Janus Upconversion Nanomotor for Atherosclerosis Amelioration. Advanced Functional Materials, 2024:2405916.

2. Hydrophobicity regulation of energy acceptors confined in mesoporous silica enabled reversible activation of optogenetics for closed-loop glycemic control. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2023(145) :5941-5951.

3. Excitation energy mediated cross-relaxation for tunable upconversion luminescence from a single lanthanide ion. Nature Communications, 2022(13):4741.

11. Lab Head/Team leader：Asso. Prof. Qin-Li Wan  Email: wanqinli@hotmail.com

Research Area：Our lab specializes in research utilizing the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism to delve into development, genetics, transgenerational inheritance, and the mechanisms of aging. We also focus on the development of anti-aging drugs and the investigation of their underlying mechanisms, aiming to translate our findings into strategies for promoting healthy longevity in humans.

Recent Publications:

1. Cadmium exposure induces multigenerational inheritance of germ cell apoptosis and fertility suppression in Caenorhabditis elegans. Environment International, 191,108952.

2. Histone H3K4me3 modification is a transgenerational epigenetic signal for lipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature Communications, 2022, 13(1),768.

3.N6-methyldeoxyadenine and histone methylation mediate transgenerational survival advantages induced by hormetic heat stress. Science Advances, 2021, 7(1),eabc3026.

12. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Wenjun Ma  Email: mawj@gdiph.org.cn

Research Area：(1) Risk assessment of air pollution and climate change on human health and related biological and behavioral mechanism; (2) Adaptation strategy and measures of climate change and health.

Recent Publications:

1.Anthropogenic emissions and urbanization increase risk of compound hot extremes in cities，Nature Climate Change，2021:1-6.

2.Temperature-related mortality in China from specific injury, Nature Communications,2023, 14.

3.The joint and interaction effect of high temperature and humidity on mortality in China, Environment International,2023(107669).

13. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Yu Lan  Email: rainyblue_1999@126.com

Research Area：Our research focuses on the process of embryonic endothelial diversification, the transcriptomic, immunophenotypic, and functional characterization of hemogenic endothelial cells and nascent hematopoietic stem progenitor cells, the key intermediate cell populations connecting the embryonic vascular and hematopoietic systems, and the molecular controls of vascular development and endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition to generate hematopoietic stem progenitor cells.Major research interests include the following: 1. To analyze the heterogeneity of embryonic vascular endothelial cells and trace the vascular and hematopoietic fate of diverse embryonic endothelial cells. 2. To explore the function and mechanism of important signals regulating vascular system development and homeostasis. 3. To explore the molecular basis and regulatory mechanism of embryonic hematopoietic stem progenitor cell generation. 4. To decode the embryonic development of human hematopoietic system with high precision.

Recent Publications:

1.Combined single-cell profiling of lncRNAs and functional screening reveals H19 is pivotal for embryonic hematopoietic stem cell development. Cell Stem Cell. 2019 Feb 7;24(2):285-298.e5.

2. Embryonic endothelial evolution towards first hematopoietic stem cells revealed by single-cell transcriptomic and functional analyses. Cell Research. 2020 May;30(5):376-392.

3. Deciphering Human Macrophage Development at Single Cell Resolution. Nature. 2020 Jun;582(7813):571-576

14. Lab Head/Team leader：Prof. Yiyang Wang  Email: wangyiyang@jnu.edu.cn

Research Area：We carried out tandem purification and proteomic profiling to identify the downstream targets of important E3s including E6AP, Rsp5, UBE4B, CHIP, Mdm2, Traf6, and BRCA1. We also study the mechanism of UB chain assembly by unnatural amino acid incorporation, structural biology, and enzyme mechanistic analysis. Mechanisms of ubiquitin signaling within inflammation and cell death.

Recent Publications:

1. Identifying the ubiquitination targets of E6AP by orthogonal ubiquitin transfer. Nature Communications. 2017, 8 (1):2232.

2.Identifying the substrate proteins of U-box E3s E4B and CHIP by orthogonal ubiquitin transfer.  Science Advances. 2018, 4 (1):e1701393.

3. Regulation of the endocytosis and prion-chaperoning machineries by yeast E3 ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 as revealed by orthogonal ubiquitin transfer. Cell Chem Biol. 2021, 28(9):1283-1297.

15. Lab Head/Team leader：Asso. Prof. Yongjun Li  Email: liyongjun_sysu@126.com

Research Area：His research mainly focuses on the implementation and improvement of Wolbachia-based mosquito population control strategies, mosquito biology and ecology, and the mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated pathogen resistance. In the past five years, he has published articles as the first (or co-first) author and corresponding (or co-corresponding) author in journals such as Nature, Nature Communications, Current Biology, Pest Management Science, Journal of Pest Science, PLOS Neglected Topical Diseases, etc. These publications represent a series of important contributions towards elucidating the feasibility and safety of Wolbachia-based of Aedes albopictus population management.

Recent Publications:

1.Mating harassment may boost the effectiveness of the sterile insect technique for Aedes mosquitoes. Nat Commun, 15(1), 2024.

2. Quality control of long-term mass-reared Aedes albopictus for population suppression. Journal of Pest Science, 94(4),2021,1531-1542.

3.Incompatible and sterile insect techniques combined eliminate mosquitoes. Nature, 572(7767), 56-61,2019.

Salary, Benefits and Start-up package

Top-Tier Talent and Leading Talent Positions: Negotiated individually.

Outstanding Talent/National-Level Young Talent Positions:

• Annual salary (pre-tax): 700,000–950,000 RMB.
• Housing purchase subsidy and relocation allowance: up to 2,000,000 RMB (pre-tax; excludes local hires).
• Three years of rental allowance: 36,000 RMB/year for senior-level professional titles.
• Additional support includes assistance with spouse job placement, access to on-campus transitional housing, research startup funding and team assistant allocations.

Outstanding Young Teaching and Research Positions:

• Annual salary (pre-tax): 280,000–400,000 RMB.
• For Blue-Sky Scholars: an extra 50,000 RMB/year during the initial contract period.
• For provincial postdoctoral program awardees: an extra 100,000 RMB/year during the first term.
• After the initial contract term, those who stay for another three years receive an additional 400,000 RMB. Housing purchase subsidy and living allowance: up to 1,000,000 RMB (pre-tax; excludes local hires).
• Three years of rental allowance: Intermediate professional titles: 18,000 RMB/year, Associate senior professional titles: 24,000 RMB/year.
• Research startup funding: up to 1,000,000 RMB.

Postdoctoral Positions:

• Competitive salary packages.
• Exceptional candidates with top performance evaluations are eligible for a one-time bonus of 300,000 RMB.
• Access to university-funded healthcare benefits.
• Other conditions follow national and Guangdong Province policies.

Additional Benefits for Full-Time Teaching and Research Staff:

• Household registration，talent green card, relocation options for dependents.
• Schooling assistance for children for children in affiliated School of Jinan University.
• Medical care plan.

How to Apply:

Teaching and Research Positions:

The application should include the following materials:

• Personal resume with detailed information including study and work experience, published academic papers/books,  scientific research projects hosted, courses taught, academic rewards, etc.
• Copies of 3 most significant publications/ design portfolio.
• Contact information of at least three referees (name, position, email, etc.) and your relationship. We will invite your referees to personally send recommendation letters when necessary. All application materials must be prepared and submitted to tbenson@jnu.edu.cn. Completed applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will be accepted until the positions are filled.

Postdoctoral Positions:

The application should include the following materials:

• Curriculum vitae: a complete education and work experience, with which a complete list of publications should be included.
• Research Summary and Research Proposals.
• Contact information of at least three referees (name, position, email, etc.) and your relationship. We will invite your referees to personally send recommendation letters when necessary. Please contact the lab head or the team leader you’re  interested in by email directly, and also you can sent to the following email: pengxin@jnu.edu.cn.

Contact

For any questions concerning the application process, please contacts:

Mr. Jian Bai

Tel: +86-20-85226129

E-mail: tbenson@jnu.edu.cn