Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Overview

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington.

With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world’s deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality.

At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect. Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities make us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems.

The Ring Lab of Synthetic and Systems Immunopharmacology is located within the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division and is a member of the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC). Their primary focus is on developing unique and first-in-class therapeutic drugs for cancer immunotherapy using cutting-edge protein engineering with directed evolution. The lab has developed therapeutics that are currently in clinical trials, such as ST-067 (a "decoy-resistant" IL-18), MDNA-11 (CD122-biased IL-2), and ALX-148/evorpacept (an ultra-high affinity SΙRPα decoy). Moreover, the Ring Lab is actively working on developing platforms for identifying new targets in cancer immunotherapy. These technologies include the REAP platform for discovering autoantibodies in patient samples, and high-throughput techniques in synthetic antibody engineering and proteogenomics to pinpoint new tumor antigens.

Effective January 1, 2027,  Fred Hutch Post Doctoral Scholars will transition from overtime exempt to non-exempt status.

Responsibilities

The Ring Lab is recruiting a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with expertise in immunology, systems/computational biology, and/or protein engineering. This position will involve research projects that investigate the relationship between patient autoantibodies and health and disease outcomes. At the core of these programs is the REAP autoantibody profiling technology, which provides unprecedented levels of detail about the "autoantibody reactome" present in patient blood and tissue samples. Researchers will perform the very first "autoantibody-wide association studies" to pinpoint how specific autoantibody reactivities impact disease biology, analogous to but independent from the effect of genetic variation. This entirely new research program is poised to identify novel therapeutic targets for a range of indications including cancer, autoimmune disease, inflammatory conditions such as IBD, infectious disease, and neurodegeneration.

The ideal candidate will be a highly-curious, motivated, independent, and collaborative research scientist keen to explore new areas of biology and therapeutic development. They will work closely with Dr. Ring, lab manager Alison Notestine, external collaborators, and other members of the Ring laboratory to execute highly-multidisciplinary studies. Furthermore, they will have the opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the preparation of research reports and scientific manuscripts, as well as present at scientific conferences and symposiums. The Ring lab welcomes candidates with a diverse range of career aspirations and has a track-record of supporting trainees to pursue careers in academia, biotech/pharma, life-science investing, and consulting.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Conduct research to decode the autoantibody reactome in a range of disease states using REAP technology.
• Design and execute antibody characterization assays through biochemical and biophysical approaches.
• Work collaboratively within the Ring lab as well as with other groups at Fred Hutch and external collaborators.
• Prepare manuscripts for publication.
• Present research findings at group meetings and scientific conferences.
• Stay current with relevant publications.
• Provide mentorship to postbaccalaureate and graduate students.
• Assist with weekly lab maintenance.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• MD or PhD in a related field
• Broad experience in molecular and cell biology methods and the ability to master new techniques and approaches
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A team player with strong aptitude for collaboration

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Cancer biology
  • Immunology
  • CAR-T
  • Systems biology/bioinformatics
• Experience with mouse models is desirable

The annual base salary range for this position is from $80,172 to $95,014, and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications.

Effective January 1, 2027,  Fred Hutch Post Doctoral Scholars will transition from overtime exempt to non-exempt status.

This position may be eligible for relocation assistance.

Although Fred Hutch is not sponsoring most H-1B visas at this time, candidates who already hold an H-1B sponsored by another organization and are currently in the U.S. may be eligible for this position.Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers employees a comprehensive benefits package designed to enhance health, well-being, and financial security. Benefits include medical/vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, life, disability, retirement, family life support, employee assistance program, onsite health clinic, income-based child care subsidy, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation (22 days per year), paid sick leave (up to 30 calendar days per occurrence of a qualifying reason), paid holidays (13 days per year), and paid parental leave (up to 4 weeks).

Additional Information

We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability (physical or mental), marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We desire priority referrals of protected veterans. If due to a disability you need assistance/and or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to Human Resources at [email protected] or by calling 206-667-4700.