Postdoctoral Fellow/ Scientist I , Synthetic Spatial Omics

Biohub is the first large-scale initiative bringing frontier AI models, massive compute, and frontier experimental capabilities under one roof. We're building a general-purpose system to accelerate scientific discovery, integrating frontier AI models, biological foundation models, and lab capabilities, with the ultimate goal of curing disease. Our technology powers scientists around the world, translating AI capabilities into tools that accelerate research everywhere.

The Team

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York (CZ Biohub NY,https://biohub.org/immune-cell-reprogramming/) is an independent nonprofit research institute that brings together three powerhouse universities - Columbia University, The Rockefeller University, and Yale University - into a single collaborative technology and discovery engine. Biohub itself supports some of the brightest, boldest engineers, data scientists, and biomedical researchers to investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying disease and develop new technologies that will lead to actionable diagnostics and effective therapies. We are guided by our values of scholarly excellence; disruptive innovation; hands-on engineering/hacking/building; partnership and collaboration; open communication and respect; inclusiveness; and opportunity for all.

Our Vision                                                                     

• We pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• We enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• The technologies developed at Biohub facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

Diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives are at the heart of Biohub and enable disruptive innovation and scholarly excellence. We are committed to cultivating an organization where all colleagues feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution.

The newly established Laboratory of Synthetic Spatial Omics at CZ Biohub NY (https://biohub.org/synthetic-spatial-omics/) advances our understanding of engineered immune cell function within their native microenvironment to design better cell therapeutic approaches. Toward this goal, we develop and integrate state-of-the-art immune cell engineering, imaging-based and sequencing-based multi-omics, and machine learning/AI frameworks. We bring together scientists with diverse expertise to pursue highly interdisciplinary scientific challenges.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional Postdoctoral Fellow/ Scientist I focusing on cell engineering with a creative mindset to drive innovative engineering and investigation of programmable immune cells with single-cell spatial precision. The successful candidate will integrate synthetic biology, spatial multi-omics, and systems-level analysis to engineer programmable cellular functions, investigate their activities in situ, and identify the molecular drivers of specific functional states. This position offers the opportunity to translate unconventional ideas toward advancing cell therapies, while developing expertise at the intersection of technology development and fundamental discovery within a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment. 

What You'll Do

• Computationally design programmable molecular components (e.g., receptors and transcription factors).
• Engineer immune cells with these components and profile their behavior in tissue using spatial multi-omics (e.g., seqFISH+) to uncover cellular functions and engineering principles.
• Analyze high-dimensional imaging and sequencing datasets using computational approaches to identify organizational and regulatory principles. 
• Collaborate closely with researchers across genomics, immunology, machine learning, and related disciplines.
• Contribute to preprints, publications, presentations, and open science practices.

What You'll Bring

•   PhD in Synthetic Biology, Systems Biology, Bioengineering, Immunology or a closely related discipline.

  •     2-4 years of experience post PhD (Scientist I) in synthetic biology, immune engineering, and/or protein design.
  •     Experience developing novel experimental technologies.
  •     Experience with molecular biology techniques, including cell culture, nucleic acid workflows, and cellular functional assays.
  •     Ability to independently design rigorous experiments, troubleshoot complex workflows, and drive projects to completion.
  •     Collaborative mindset and strong scientific communication skills. 

  Nice to have - 

  •     Experience developing novel computational technologies.
  •     Experience with immune cell engineering and their characterization with animal models.
  •     Experience with de novo protein design or protein circuits.
  •     Experience with omics technologies and analysis.

Interested candidates should submit the following documents:

•     Cover Letter detailing research interests, motivations, and career goals.
•     Full Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting major achievements.

Compensation

The  New York City, NY  base pay range for a new hire in this role is Postdoctoral Fellow = $93,000.00 & Scientist I = $120,000 - $150,000. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. 

This position may be eligible to participate in our discretionary annual performance bonus program. Bonus eligibility and targets are determined in accordance with our total rewards philosophy and may vary by role.

Benefits for the Whole You  

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible. 

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice. 
• Funding for select family-forming benefits. 
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.