Post-Doctoral Fellow - Internal Medicine, Cardiology/Pauley Heart Center

At VCU, we take pride in our deep commitment to our postdoctoral community. In 2026, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) named VCU as one of only 12 recipients of its inaugural Institutional Policy Awards, in recognition of our transformative efforts to elevate quality of life and workplace equity for postdocs.

VCU postdocs are Virginia state employees, with benefits mirroring 12-month faculty. We adhere closely to the NPA’s guidelines for best practices in postdoc training. We work closely with our local NPA chapter, the VCU Postdoc Association, to make this a welcoming and productive place to complete your training!

Founded more than 20 years ago, the Pauley Heart Center is today the top-ranked heart center in Virginia.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death nationwide and in Virginia. Pauley's mission is to improve cardiovascular care and reduce health disparities for all through interdisciplinary, cutting-edge, clinical, translational and community-based research; training and developing the next generation of cardiovascular clinicians and researchers across all levels of education; and providing innovative and accessible cardiovascular procedural care (both surgical and catheter-based) that is the best in the Commonwealth. Pauley is a regional and national leader in research, education, and clinical programs involving electrophysiology; advanced cardiac imaging (MRI, CT, echo); advanced heart failure, including device-based treatments, total artificial heart, and heart transplant programs; cardio-oncology; high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions; adult congenital heart disease; and exercise-based cardiovascular disease prevention.

The Pauley Heart Center is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral training program in cardiovascular disease research. This 3 year individually-tailored training program offers a stipend and tuition reimbursement for a VCU Masters in Clinical Health Science program, or other VCU master’s degree program. In addition, travel funds to present at a scientific conference as well as funds for health insurance expenses.

Research opportunities may include laboratory-based, translational and clinical projects, may involve animal or human subjects and relate to cardiovascular disease. Some areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

• →Cardiotoxicity related to cancer therapy
• →Metabolomics and lipidomics in cardiovascular medicine
• →Role of inflammation in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure
• →Cardiovascular pathophysiology in the context of metabolic disease
• →Mechanisms of myocardial protection
• →Mitochondrial biology as it relates to heart injury
• →Molecular and cellular mechanisms of electrical remodeling in diseased hearts
• →Development of computational models to cancer treatment-related side effects and
  therapeutic strategies
• →Preventive cardiology
• →Social and behavioral determinants of cardiovascular events
• →The impact of obesity in cardiovascular disease
• →The role of muscle health in physical function and exercise capacity

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in Nutrition, Health Sciences, Public Health, Biomedical Sciences, or a related field by the start of the fellowship.
• Experience participating in clinical, translational, or human subjects research.
• Experience working with -omics data, including data analysis, bioinformatics tools, and data
  interpretation
• Experience in applying body composition and physical function assessments in the clinical
  research setting
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience related to nutrition, metabolism, cardiovascular health, or other chronic disease areas.
• Understanding of clinical nutrition practices and experience delivering nutrition education
• Experience with metabolomics, bioinformatics tools, or other omics-based research approaches.
• Proficiency in statistical and analytical software such as R, SAS, Python, or similar platforms.
• Record of scholarly achievement, including publications, presentations, grant activity, or
  experience mentoring students and trainees.