Faculty Position: Cancer Cell Surfaceome/Novel Therapeutic Design Scientist

Mayo Clinic • Phoenix, AZ

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona is seeking an open-rank faculty member to advance cancer research towards clinical impact. This role is part of a growing research hub focused on transforming cancer patient care through target discovery and next-generation therapeutic platforms. The initiative spans basic discovery science in cell surfaceome mapping and immune-antigen discovery to the development of cellular therapeutics, vaccine manufacturing, immuno-therapeutics, and theranostics. The position is supported by strong clinical and clinical trial programs and strategic collaborations. Qualified investigators will focus on the continuum from discovery science, including the identification and characterization of cancer-related epitopes and their associated immunologic response, to the development of novel therapeutics for clinical deployment. These applications include cancer prevention in high-risk individuals, early cancer detection, mitigation of nascent cancer progression, and therapeutic applications for established disease. Potential therapeutic designs encompass cellular therapeutics, vaccine modalities, and radiotheranostics.

Requirements

• Hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D., Sc.D., or equivalent) in clinical pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, immunology, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrate a robust history of extramural peer-reviewed cancer-related research funding, including NIH/NCI and current active, relevant funding.
• Demonstrate a history of impactful publications in top-tier cancer-related journals.
• Demonstrate a sustained history of leadership in team-based science in research fields such as Immunology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virology, Experimental Therapeutics, Cancer Biology.
• Demonstrate a commitment to team science, mentorship of junior faculty through independence, and fostering collaborations between clinical and academic research departments.
• Expertise in cutting-edge research approaches such as long-read sequencing for isoform discovery, ribosome profiling for translation validation, T-cell receptor genotypic/phenotypic profiling and generative AI models for antigen prediction and de novo target discovery.

Nice To Haves

• Leverage bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize tumor-specific expression, alternative splicing events, RNA editing, and non-canonical transcripts (e.g., fusion genes, retained introns, dark proteins).
• Utilize mass spectrometry–based immunopeptidomics to directly profile peptides presented on HLA molecules.
• Map the repertoire of naturally presented tumor-associated and tumor-specific antigens to validate biological relevance beyond transcript-level predictions.
• Develop and apply machine learning and deep learning models to predict antigen processing, HLA binding affinity, peptide stability, and immunogenicity.
• TCR/BCR repertoire analysis and/or deep learning approaches for antigen prediction and functional immune response assessment.
• Generation of antibodies, nanobodies, peptides, or RNA-based payloads adaptable across therapeutic modalities.
• Translate target discovery to immunotherapy, cellular therapy, oligonucleotide-based vaccines, or radio-theranostics.
• Experience with on-target/off-target validation of therapeutic potential in pre-clinical model systems.
• Coordinate/conduct pre-IND enabling studies for acceleration of novel therapeutics from design through manufacturing to Phase I trials.
• Incorporate patient-derived datasets and clinical annotations to prioritize targets with high relevance across patient populations and disease subtypes.
• Build scalable pipelines that connect discovery to validation.
• Ensure targets are suitable for downstream modalities such as T cell engagers, CAR-T therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), or cancer vaccines.
• Incorporate patient-derived datasets and clinical annotations to prioritize targets with high relevance across patient populations and disease subtypes.
• The successful candidate will be a key driver in bridging and accelerating the drug discovery and development pipeline with AI-embedded technologics through manufacturing to testing of novel therapeutics in coordination with the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Phase 1 clinical trials program.

Responsibilities

• Participate in institutional initiatives aligned with Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center’s vision to Cure, Connect, and Transform cancer care through transformative science.
• Lead an independent, externally funded research program in developmental therapeutics for translational science focused within the continuum of cancer cell surfaceome mapping through novel cancer therapeutics.
• Identification and validation of novel tumor antigens (“neoantigens”) for applications in therapeutics and diagnostics (theranostics).
• Characterization of immunologic response to cancer-related immunopeptidomics.
• Contribute to the development of next-generation therapeutic platforms such as immunotherapies, cellular therapies, and nucleic acid-based vaccines.
• Conduct/coordinate pre-IND enabling research for acceleration of novel therapeutics into First-In-Human early phase clinical trials.
• Contribute to the development of next-generation therapeutic platforms focused on immunotherapies, cellular therapies, antibodies/nanobodies, radiopharmaceuticals and nucleic acid-based vaccines.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to translate discoveries into clinical-grade therapeutics with coordination of internal/external manufacturing processes.
• Actively engage in Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center activities.
• Engage in enterprise-wide collaborations across Mayo Clinic sites (Rochester, MN; Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ; Jacksonville, FL) with external partners, including Arizona State University, and numerous biotechnology partners.
• Mentor trainees and contribute to a collaborative, inclusive research environment.

Benefits

• Competitive startup and sustained institutional support
• Investment in team science and program-building initiatives
• Access to a $1B+ annual research enterprise
• Infrastructure for IND-enabling studies and early-phase clinical trials
• Exceptional benefits, including retirement and pension programs
• A culture that values innovation, inclusion, and transdisciplinary collaboration

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree