Postdoctoral Researcher, Biological Design, Hsu Lab

Arc Institute • Palo Alto, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Hsu Lab is looking for postdoctoral researchers who are curious, creative, and ambitious and share our vision of programming biology and building tangible products that impact everyday lives in the real world. Broadly, we develop technologies for biological engineering and design. Recent work has included bridge recombinases, large serine recombinases, CRISPR systems, and AI-designed molecular systems. Beyond the genome, we aim to modulate physiology through synthetic peptides, microbiome engineering, or rational nutrition. Finally, we merge advances in biology and AI to mine the metagenomic sequence space, enable generative genome design, and build towards a virtual cell. Postdocs in the lab are encouraged to lead ambitious, independent projects, resulting in high-impact publications. You will have the opportunity to collaborate widely across Arc, Stanford, and the broader Bay Area ecosystem, with access to strong platforms in our lab and our institutions for genomics, single-cell technologies, synthetic biology, computation, and experimental model systems.

Requirements

• Doctorate (MD, PhD, or equivalent) in a relevant life sciences or engineering field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and be both an independent thinker and a highly collaborative team player.
• Track record of creative, high-impact research as demonstrated by publications, patents, developed tools, software etc.

Responsibilities

• Conduct high-impact research: Design, execute, and analyze experiments; take end-to-end ownership of a research project within the lab’s scientific focus, with guidance from the PI and increasing independence as you develop expertise.
• Develop as a future scientific leader: Publish first-author papers in high-impact journals, present at national and international conferences, and build a network of collaborators across Arc, Stanford, and beyond.
• Foster scientific excellence: Mentor and train research associates, technicians, and students; engage in Arc-wide activities (seminars, symposia); contribute to a collaborative research environment; maintain rigorous experimental records and documentation; and contribute to lab operations including protocol development and maintaining shared infrastructure.

What This Job Offers

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