Post-doctoral Researcher | Yale School of Medicine | Tumor Immunology / AI / Next-generation Therapies

The Ishizuka Lab at Yale Cancer Center is seeking an exceptional, highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join an integrated computational–wet lab team developing new cancer immunotherapies.

We study how tumors evade the immune system through innate immune signaling, with a particular focus on double-stranded RNA sensing, viral mimicry, and innate immune checkpoints. We develop new ways to interrogate and reprogram these interactions, from patient tumors through to engineered therapeutic molecules. Our work spans perturbational single-cell profiling of human tumors (PERCEPT), AI-informed virtual screening, CRISPR-based functional genomics, mRNA therapies, and the design and directed evolution of AI-generated therapeutic binders.

The successful candidate will lead projects in related areas of the lab:

1. Translational perturbational profiling of patient tumors following treatment with novel immunotherapies using perturbational single cell RNA sequencing, matched functional profiling and mechanistic interrogation. We use primary human samples, rigorous functional immunology to bridge fundamental and clinical immuno-oncology. Useful experience includes primary human tumor and immune-cell work, T-cell functional assays, flow and spectral cytometry, tumor–immune co-culture, single-cell RNA-seq, and the integration of wet-lab data with computational analysis.

2. Building a platform for the design and directed evolution of AI-generated therapeutic molecules — nanobodies, engineered cytokines, and T-cell engagers — constructed and selected on engineered cells. This project is related to the first and involves synthetic immunology, engineering and screening capabilities. Here a protein-engineering or synthetic biology background with antibodies or nanobodies would be ideal as well as a strong background in directed evolution, reporter and selection-system design and molecular cloning.

A strong candidate may be a fit to bridge both of these related projects, or may fit primarily for one or the other.

The scientists who do well here

• Generate their own ideas and take ownership of their projects. When an experiment fails, they are active in diagnosing and fixing it.
• Are comfortable working across computational and wet-lab approaches and are keen to learn whatever they don’t already know.
• Approach unfamiliar problems with curiosity, are able to pick apart the weaknesses of a paper, offer alternative explanations for a result, and think past the obvious model.
• Collaborate generously, mentor junior trainees, and add to a supportive, high-energy lab.
• Communicate clearly in writing and in talks.

Minimum qualifications

• PhD in immunology, cancer biology, protein engineering, synthetic biology, bioengineering, or a related field
• A record of substantive scientific accomplishment and ownership of your work
• Ability to design and troubleshoot difficult experiments independently

To apply

Please email your CV, a short cover letter, and contact information for three references to View email address on click.appcast.io

In your cover letter, tell us in your own words what you find most exciting or most questionable about one of our recent papers (including PERCEPT or C2S-Scale preprints), or a problem in cancer immunology you would most want to work on.

This role offers the opportunity to bridge human translation to fundamental mechanism and novel immunotherapy design.