Research Associate

A Research Associate (non-tenured, Collaborative Track) is available in the laboratory of Dr. Fadi Matar in collaboration with Dr. Thomas McDonald. The selected applicant will assist Drs. Matar and McDonald in the foundation of the "Ruberg Cardiovascular 3D Printing and Bio-Innovation Research Center". Dr. Matar is currently the interim Chief of Cardiology at USF and the founding director of the 3D Printing Program at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI). Dr. McDonald is the Director of the USF-Health Heart Institute and is the Founding Director of the USF Cardiogenetics Program.

This state-of-the-art cardiovascular bio-printing laboratory is located at the USF Health Heart Institute, a state-of-the-art research facility in downtown, Tampa. It focuses on translating bioprinting technologies using pluripotent stem cells and extra-cellular matrix molecules to develop clinically applicable solutions to various cardiovascular diseases. This lab collaborates with distinguished faculty such as Da-Zhi Wang, PhD, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine in the USF Health Heart Institute and Morsani College of Medicine and who is internationally renowned in the field of regenerative medicine.

Cardiac surgery and interventions improved patient survival but several limitations such as prosthetic valve and vein graft degeneration and lack of good heart replacement solutions persist. The science of stem cell research progressed and now researchers can differentiate such cells into specialized heart and vascular tissues. It is therefore possible to bio-print such cells into 3D geometries, but further research is needed. The 3D Bio-printing research program is aimed at advancing the scientific knowledge and the clinical translation of this field by focusing on valvular, arterial conduits and vascularized myocardial tissue engineering.

TGH is a leading heart transplant and minimally invasive cardiovascular interventional center in the nation. Clinicians, clinician scientists, basic scientists, and medical engineers at USF are part of a multidisciplinary HVI translational program with an infrastructure that supports the institutions' academic mission. The research associate and future recruits of the Ruberg Bio-innovation Research Center will, more readily, be able to translate their innovations into relevant clinical applications.

The Research Associate is expected to work closely with Drs. Matar and McDonald in acquiring the necessary laboratory technologies and recruit additional personnel to start and advance this lab. They will develop projects and are expected to demonstrate independence in the design, oversight of junior trainees, and implementation of the daily activities required for the conduct of the research program. Drs. Matar and McDonald will work with the Research Associate to ensure their career development for future successful academic and industry positions.