Fw: job posting: Postdoctoral Associate, Entomology Virginia Tech

[Pearse, Ian S]

 

Hello Bee Folks,

If you know of people looking for a postdoc who might be interested in insect immunology / bumble bees, please forward this on to them or post widely.

Enakshi Ghosh (the mentor for this postdoc) started up a lab at Virginia Tech last year, and she is doing exciting work in insect immunology, plant defense, and ecology.  

All the best,

Ian

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From: Ghosh, Enakshi <ena...@vt.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 10:19 AM
To: Pearse, Ian S <ipe...@usgs.gov>; Mola,John <John...@colostate.edu>; Hufbauer,Ruth <ruth.h...@colostate.edu>
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Search Committee Charge: Job Card #535943, Postdoctoral Associate, Entomology

 

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much!! I am so excited to work with you all. I do have a small write-up for email, here: 

Hi everyone,

 

If you get excited about insects, immunity, and asking ecological questions that actually matter for conservation, this might be a great fit for you.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Associate to join the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Our department works across agriculture, ecology, and global change biology, and we care deeply about doing science that connects mechanism with real-world impact.

 

What is the project about?

You will be working on immune priming and disease dynamics in bumble bees. The big picture is simple but powerful:

How do we make pollinators healthier and more resilient to disease?

The work sits right at the intersection of insect immunology, pollinator biology and conservation ecology. You will combine lab experiments, colony-level work, and ecological thinking to understand how immune priming shapes pathogen resistance, immune function, and overall colony performance.

 

What will you actually do?

You will design and run experiments on immune priming in bumble bees, measure immune responses, pathogen resistance, and colony outcomes, explore how nutrition interacts with immunity and analyze data and publish your work.

You will also collaborate with fantastic colleagues at Colorado State University (John Mola, Ruth Hufbauer, Ian Pearse), which means some travel and lots of good science conversations.

 

Beyond research You will mentor undergraduate and graduate students, be part of an active, collaborative lab environment, attend seminars, workshops, and conferences and grow as a scientist.

 

Who should apply?

You should have a PhD in entomology, ecology, evolution, immunology, or a related field, and experience in at least one of insect ecology, insect immunology and pollinator biology

If you have worked with bees or social insects and have done immune assays or pathogen experiments, even better. Most importantly, you should be curious, collaborative, and excited about connecting mechanism with ecology.

 

More details here: https://jobs.apply.vt.edu/jobs/postdoctoral-associate-blacksburg-virginia-united-states-a7b61fc3-9839-48c2-8c02-b65c8ffa1797

Thank you.

Regards,

Enakshi 

Dr. Enakshi Ghosh. FRES

Assistant Professor

Fulbright India Alumnus

Herbivore Ecology, Behavior, and Immunology Lab

Department of Entomology

Virginia Tech

Website: https://www.enakshighosh.com/

 

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