Heavy Particle Radiobiology/DNA Damage Response and Repair Scientist

Position Description
Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida invite applications for an open-rank faculty position for innovative and accomplished scientists focused on DNA damage repair and response pathways, particularly in the context of high linear energy transfer (LET) heavy particle therapies - including proton and carbon ion - in animal models and/or human clinical research studies and clinical trials. The successful recruit will have an unparalleled opportunity i to expand and lead rapidly expanding, innovative, and exciting programs in radiation biology and oncology.

In 2025, Mayo Clinic Florida completed initial construction of the Duan Family Integrated Oncology Building. A pioneering investment, representing the first carbon ion treatment facility in the Americas, the 225,000 square foot, $233 million building offers a range of options for individualized radiotherapy, including conventional X-ray therapy, and 360-degree proton ion therapy and carbon ion therapy, a powerful new option for highly resistant cancers. Heavy particle therapy - including next-generation proton beam therapy and carbon ion therapy - has the potential to transform treatment paradigms not only for rare, radioresistant cancers but also more-common malignancies. Whether heavy particle treatments may be used in early stage disease for effective cure is also under investigation. The center will launch proton beam therapy in early 2027, with carbon ion therapy available in early 2028. Through collaboration with a global technology and engineering company headquartered in Japan and other partners, Mayo Clinic will provide treatment capabilities, including photon, proton and carbon ion therapy, that are available nowhere else in the world. To enhance the benefits of heavy particle therapy delivery, Mayo Clinic is partnering with a software development company to create an advanced treatment adaptive planning system for photon, proton and carbon ion therapies. This system, not currently available for most patients receiving radiation therapy, reduces the radiation dose sent to healthy tissue and provides real-time online adaptive treatment planning.

We seek an exceptional investigator with expertise in investigating mechanisms of DNA damage induction and molecular responses including DNA repair pathway dependencies after exposures to photons, protons and heavy charged particles (such as carbon) used for radiotherapy to guide precision radiation oncology and therapeutic combinations.  As carbon ions in particular may elicit neo-antigens and trigger local and systemic anti-cancer immune responses, there will be significant opportunities to collaborate with other physicians and scientists to dissect these mechanistic pathways and translate them to unique combinatorial therapeutic interventions. As such, successful candidates will play a central role in advancing a rapidly growing, multidisciplinary heavy particle program focused on discovery science, translational innovation, and clinical impact. 

Strategic Role and Leadership Expectations
The DNA Damage Response Scientist will:

• Characterize cellular and molecular responses to photon, proton, and heavy-ion radiation.
• Identify DNA repair pathway choices and map DDR vulnerabilities that can be used for patient stratification or co-targeted with inhibitors or gene-editing strategies to enhance efficacy of radiotherapy.
• Develop preclinical models to test synergy between radiotherapy and targeted therapy.
• Have the opportunity to drive science in neo-antigen discovery and combination immunotherapy in the context of DNA damage and molecular and cellular pathways.
• Provide mechanistic insights to support clinical translation of carbon-ion–based treatment programs, in animal system and in clinical research and clinical trials.
• Collaborate with computational scientists to identify and model clinical vulnerabilities to charged particle exposures and develop radiation-response signatures.
   

Research Environment
Mayo Clinic Florida offers a highly collaborative and integrated academic medical center environment with expanding strengths in heavy particle therapy, cancer immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, and translational science. 

Faculty benefit from:

• State-of-the-art genome engineering and cell manufacturing infrastructure
• Access to institutional core facilities including genomics, single-cell sequencing, proteomics, bioinformatics, and advanced imaging
• Robust disease-focused centers supporting both oncology and non-oncology therapeutic innovation
• Dedicated institutional support for regulatory strategy, clinical trial development, and commercialization pathways
• Cross-campus collaboration opportunities with Mayo Clinic sites in Minnesota and Arizona

Why Choose Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center? 
With 440 members and >1500 aligned cancer physicians working in six Cancer Research Programs (Cancer Prevention, Survivorship & Control; Cancer Risk Assessment, Early Detection & Interception; Cancer Genomics, Signaling, & Metastasis; Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapeutics; Novel Therapeutics & Therapeutic Modalities; Advanced Clinical Trials and Translational Sciences) and 15 Disease Groups focused on clinical trials, MCCCC is a global leader and represents the pinnacle of cancer care, research and education and training. Every year, across its three enterprise sites (Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida), MCCCC physicians provide expert cancer diagnosis and treatment to more than 150,000 unique patients from across the nation and the globe. MCCCC created one of the nation’s first National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center Research Programs focused on early cancer detection and interception: Cancer Risk Assessment, Early Detection, and Interception (REDI). The Center’s other five transdisciplinary research programs include Cancer Prevention, Control, and Survivorship; Cancer Genomics, Signaling, and Metastasis; Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapeutics; Novel Therapeutics and Therapeutic Modalities; and Advanced Clinical Trials and Translational Research.

The MCCCC Mission: To inspire hope and promote health and healing through integrated research, clinical practice, and education, centered around our primary value: the needs of the patient come first.

The MCCCC Vision: To be a global cancer authority: transforming cancer research and practice to assure that our discoveries, knowledge, and expertise are accessible to all, within and beyond our walls, at anyplace and anytime.

MCCCC Goals:

1. To cure cancers through translation of innovative transdisciplinary science to new means of prevention, early detection, interception, intervention, and unparalleled care delivery. 
2. To transform cancer research and practice using category of one data platforms, digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and intelligent automation, creating new models for community and patient engagement, and the conduct of research, clinical trials and patient-centered care delivery in clinical, home, and community settings. 
3. To use Mayo Clinic Platform to engage patients and communities in our catchment areas and across the nation and the world in cancer research and distributed and decentralized clinical trials.
4. To educate, train, and mentor the next generation of cancer physicians, scientists, and leaders.

Over the past year, MCCCC has continued to achieve exceptional performance metrics, with high levels of cancer research funding (reporting $61.2M in annual peer-reviewed funding ($41.1M from NCI) and $98.7M in industry and non-peer reviewed funding). The Center currently has over 80 multi-investigator programmatic grants including 6 NCI Specialized Programs of Research Emphasis (SPORES): Myeloma, Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer, Liver/Hepatobiliary Cancers, Prostate Cancer, and Sarcoma. In 2025, clinical trial accrual has remained robust, reporting the Center’s highest accrual to therapeutic interventional trials: 2,624 (12% of newly registered cases), with 6,588 interventional accruals (30% of newly registered patients) and 10,367 non-interventional accruals. In 2025, MCCCC members published an exceptional number (1776) of peer-reviewed academic works, 24% of which were published in high impact journals.

Why Choose Mayo Clinic?
Mayo Clinic is a premier, integrated academic medical center consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the nation. All campuses are experiencing strategic growth in cancer immunotherapy, drug discovery & development, regenerative medicine, and translational discovery science.  As noted above, Mayo Clinic offers a highly collaborative academic medical center environment and strong platforms for implementation, evaluation, and pragmatic scientist. Faculty benefit from:

• Membership in Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, the nation’s only three-site, NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
• Access to institutional expertise in AI, computational and digital biology, biostatistics, epidemiology, bioinformatics, and the Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery.
• Opportunities to collaborate across Mayo Clinic sites to evaluate programs, models of care, and implementation strategies using clinical, operational, patient-reported, and population-level data.
• A growing environment for evaluating new models of care, conducting decentralized clinical trials, and advancing data-enabled approaches to improving cancer care delivery.
• Dedicated institutional support for research development, regulatory navigation, commercialization pathways, and team-based science.

We offer:

• 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
• Mayo Clinic is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment, recognizing that diverse research teams drive more innovative solutions to complex biomedical challenges.

Qualified candidates must hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D., Sc.D., or equivalent) in genetics, molecular biology, radiation biology, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• A strong record of high-impact, peer-reviewed publications in DDR pathways, cell death pathways, radiobiology, genome stability, charged particle biophysical models, radiation-induced immunomodulation or related fields.
• Sustained extramural funding appropriate to academic rank (NIH K award or equivalent for Assistant Professor; R01-level funding or equivalent for Associate Professor or higher).
• Evidence of scientific leadership and the ability to build collaborative, multidisciplinary research programs.
• A demonstrated commitment to mentorship, education, and fostering an inclusive academic culture.

Appointment level (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) will be commensurate with experience and years in rank, scholarly achievement, leadership experience, and funding record.