POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
What is a Postdoctoral Fellow?
At LSU Health Shreveport, we are working to enhance the career development and overall training experience of postdoctoral fellows. Postdoctoral fellows are defined as individuals who are receiving additional training after earning a doctoral level degree. The goal of this training is to develop additional professional skills necessary for successful transition into an independent research scientist position for either industry or academia.
We may be a small university, but we have the research resources of a large campus.
Why train at LSU Health Shreveport?
At LSUHS, you can be part of a community of scientists working together to improve the world through scientific innovation. Our Postdocs participate in research focus groups, career development workshops, and collaborate on projects that enhance their career opportunities. Our research labs have flexible scheduling and allow for generous working space. Postdocs have access to work directly with PIs regularly to examine research projects and execute scientific processes in state-of-the-art CORE facilities. Check our current list of Postdoc opportunities on our campus.
POSTDOC SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Yurdagul & Dr. Kumar
Dr. Dhananjay Kumar received his PhD from the Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine in Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi, India, in 2021. His thesis was "To study the role of bone marrow and tissue-derived macrophages in hepatic regeneration." His current research focuses on how macrophages sense and metabolize apoptotic cell-derived nutrients and elucidating the mechanisms by which these processes control inflammation resolution and atherosclerosis in the laboratory of Dr. Arif Yurdagul at LSU Health Shreveport.
“A macrophage (MA-kroh-fayj) is a type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms, removes dead cells, and stimulates the action of other immune system cells.” (National Cancer Institute)
Dr. Yurdagul shared, “Dr. Kumar joined my laboratory in January 2022 to advance his expertise in atherosclerosis research. With a strong foundation in biotechnology and immune cell research, he has quickly become a key contributor to our studies on macrophage metabolism and inflammation resolution in cardiovascular disease. Dhananjay plays a central role in investigating the role of solute carrier (SLC) transporters in macrophage metabolism, focusing on how nutrient sensing regulates atherosclerosis progression and inflammation resolution. This work, recently supported by a prestigious American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Dr. Kumar, is providing critical insights into the metabolic reprogramming of macrophages with significant therapeutic potential.”
In addition to Dr. Kumar’s recently awarded AHA postdoctoral fellowship that supports his research project, “Nutrient Sensing of Apoptotic Cell-Derived Cargo Drives Inflammation Resolution,” he received an intramural grant from the LSUHS Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences in 2023 to support his research. He has also received Travel Awards to attend and present his work at international meetings including the Cytokines Meeting in 2019, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Austria in 2017, and in 2016, the Till and McCulloch Meeting in Canada and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL Masterclass) in Germany.
He has published several papers in high-impact journals as both an author and a co-author. Recently, he co-authored articles in Nature Metabolism, along with Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. He is currently preparing a first-author manuscript for submission in early 2025.
When Dr. Kumar is not working in the lab, he enjoys spending time with family, watching movies, listening to music, traveling, and gardening. He also likes cooking, especially Indian cuisine.
RESOURCES & INFORMATION
LSUHS Postdoctoral Association
The mission of the LSUHS PDA is to facilitate the long-term success of its members by improving, supporting, and enriching the postdoctoral fellows' experience and environment here at LSUHS.
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Postdoc News
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LSUHS is excited to join universities across the United States taking part in the National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) during September. We celebrated our postdoctoral fellows with daily appreciation events across campus.
