Research Fellowship

The Research Fellowship is a two year program for postdoctoral candidates that aims to train research fellows to become independent investigators in either academics or industry, through high-level mentorship, seminars, journal clubs, research fellowship infrastructure and laboratory training.

Number of Positions per Year: 1-6

Prior Education/Training Requirements

Predoctoral Research Fellowships are for medical students. Postdoctoral Research Fellowships require an M.D. or Ph.D. degree.

Postdoctoral candidates should make a commitment of at least two years, and some previous research experience is desirable. We encourage minority applications.

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted at any time.

Description of Training Program

The Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania has a long history of successful research in cutaneous biology and, more recently, in clinical epidemiology. For over 10 years we have been in the top five Departments of Dermatology in receipt of funding from the National Institutes of Health, and for the past three years we have been the number 1 or 2 Department. In addition to other funding sources, our NIH T32 Dermatology Training Grant funds 4 post-doctoral, 2 pre-doctoral and 3 short-term pre-doctoral fellows per year. NIH T32-funded positions are limited to US citizens and permanent residents. Applications from minority, disabled, or economically disadvantaged applicants are particularly encouraged.

Each Research Fellow works under the direction of a faculty mentor. In addition, each Fellow takes part in Departmental seminars and journal clubs. The University also provides a Research Fellowship infrastructure that includes benefits and special seminars covering multiple areas such as safe laboratory techniques, ethics, grant writing, career opportunities, and others.

Our goal is to train Research Fellows to become independent investigators in either academics or industry.

Specific areas of scientific research include: epidermal and hair follicle stem cells; alopecia, wound healing, and skin regeneration; development, differentiation, growth and regeneration of ectodermal appendages including hair follicles, mammary glands, teeth and taste papillae; microRNA functions in development and diseases of the skin, hair follicles and mammary glands; signal transduction in epidermis; murine models of skin cancer, mechanisms of cutaneous carcinogenesis, and topical inhibition of cutaneous carcinogenesis; autoimmune blistering and rheumatologic diseases of skin, impetigo and staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome; cloning and characterization of pemphigus autoantibodies, and cell biological effects of pathogenic pemphigus antibodies on desmosomal adhesion; delivery of biologically active drugs to skin by monoclonal antibodies; melanoma and dysplastic nevi; basic pathophysiologic and translational clinical therapeutic studies of cutaneous T cell lymphoma; pro-inflammatory effects of ultraviolet light on skin; the immunopathogenesis and treatment of autoimmune diseases and photoaging; pharmacoepidemiology of chronic wounds, acne, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis; clinical epidemiology; health services studies; and clinical trials including in psoriasis, autoimmune connective tissue and blistering diseases.