Postdoctoral Associate - Neal Laboratory

Broad Institute • Cambridge, MA

5d • $70,000 - $92,667 • Onsite

About The Position

The Neal Laboratory within the Broad Institute's Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease seeks an independent, creative Postdoctoral Associate for Project Encore, an NIH Director's Transformative Research Award-funded initiative. The project aims to discover how genetic variants cause rare disease and translate those insights into potential treatments. It will use barcoded open reading frame expression libraries, multiplexed fluorescence imaging, and in situ barcode sequencing to assess compound effects across hundreds of variants in parallel, screening thousands of compounds across more than 1.6 million compound-variant combinations to identify candidates that reverse disease-associated cellular phenotypes.

This experimental research role emphasizes technology development, rigorous screening, and biological discovery. The associate will develop and apply pooled optical screening approaches, investigate promising compound–variant interactions with computational biologists and disease-area collaborators, and develop selected findings into an independent mechanistic research program. The laboratory emphasizes scientific independence, collaboration, and career development; postdoctoral researchers receive mentorship and research training for future leadership roles in academia or industry and are encouraged and supported in applying for external fellowships.

The position is on-site at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a flexible start date as early as possible. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Applicants should submit a CV, contact information for three references, and a brief cover letter describing research interests, relevant experience, and one or two questions they would be excited to pursue in the lab. The role is full-time, based on a 40-hour-per-week schedule, with a listed annual pay range of $70,000 to $92,666.67.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, functional genomics, bioengineering, chemical biology, systems biology, or a related field.
• Strong hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, and fluorescence microscopy.
• Demonstrated ability to design, troubleshoot, and interpret experiments and independently advance a research project, as shown by first-author publications or preprints.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational skills, and a collaborative approach to research.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in mechanistic cell biology, human genetics, or research on Mendelian or rare diseases.
• Experience with genetic perturbation screens, barcoded library construction, lentiviral transduction, or cell line engineering.
• Experience with automated or high-content microscopy, compound screening, multiplexed immunostaining, in situ sequencing, or related optical profiling methods.
• Experience with disease-relevant cell models, including human iPSCs, differentiated lineages, or primary cells.
• Experience with quantitative image analysis or scientific programming, including CellProfiler, Fiji, Python, or R. Candidates with experience in more than one preferred area will be prioritized.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize pooled optical screens connecting disease-associated variants with protein localization and high-dimensional cellular phenotypes.
• Refine multiplexed staining, imaging, and in situ sequencing workflows.
• Select promising variant phenotypes or compound responses and develop them into mechanistic research projects.
• Test hypotheses in disease-relevant cell models, including iPSC-derived or primary human cells when appropriate, in collaboration with disease-area experts.
• Lead primary compound screens and secondary dose-response experiments, emphasizing assay performance, controls, and reproducibility.
• Work with computational colleagues to interpret imaging data, prioritize findings, and design informative follow-up experiments.
• Lead manuscript preparation and present findings.
• Contribute openly accessible datasets and methods.
• Mentor junior researchers.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Flexible spending accounts
• Health savings accounts
• At least 13 paid holidays
• Winter closure
• Paid time off
• Parental and family care leave
• Employee assistance program
• Mentorship and research training
• Support applying for external fellowships

What This Job Offers

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