What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at Mass General Brigham?
Site: The General Hospital Corporation
Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.
Job Summary
The Vazquez-Garcia Lab, part of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute, is seeking exceptional candidates for a postdoctoral position in our interdisciplinary team.
Our lab investigates the fundamental principles of somatic evolution and immune surveillance in cancer. We use data-driven approaches to study cellular dynamics in tumors, combining AI/ML, single-cell genomics, and cellular imaging approaches with large clinical datasets and experimental models. Our research draws on multi-modal data from basic science and clinical practice to understand how genomic adaptations confer selective advantages to tumor cells, act as biomarkers of therapeutic response and resistance, and sensitize tumors for targeted intervention. Our ultimate goal is to impact human health and clinical care for patients, leveraging our understanding of cancer trajectories to enable biomarkers and therapeutic strategies that anticipate and overcome tumor progression.
You will join a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary group committed to tackle challenging problems in computational oncology. You will work on independent research projects within the lab, and actively collaborate with colleagues across MGH, HMS, the Broad Institute and other institutions. You will be part of a vibrant scientific community and will have access to state-of-the-art computational resources and high-throughput genomics technologies.
The main responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
Minimum qualifications:
Learn more: https://vazquezgarcialab.mgh.harvard.edu/
Additional Job Details (if Applicable)
Remote Type
Onsite
Work Location
149 Thirteenth Street Building 149
EEO Statement
1200 The General Hospital Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.
Mass General Brigham Competency Framework
At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.
Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.
Job Summary
The Vazquez-Garcia Lab, part of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute, is seeking exceptional candidates for a postdoctoral position in our interdisciplinary team.
Our lab investigates the fundamental principles of somatic evolution and immune surveillance in cancer. We use data-driven approaches to study cellular dynamics in tumors, combining AI/ML, single-cell genomics, and cellular imaging approaches with large clinical datasets and experimental models. Our research draws on multi-modal data from basic science and clinical practice to understand how genomic adaptations confer selective advantages to tumor cells, act as biomarkers of therapeutic response and resistance, and sensitize tumors for targeted intervention. Our ultimate goal is to impact human health and clinical care for patients, leveraging our understanding of cancer trajectories to enable biomarkers and therapeutic strategies that anticipate and overcome tumor progression.
You will join a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary group committed to tackle challenging problems in computational oncology. You will work on independent research projects within the lab, and actively collaborate with colleagues across MGH, HMS, the Broad Institute and other institutions. You will be part of a vibrant scientific community and will have access to state-of-the-art computational resources and high-throughput genomics technologies.
The main responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
- Design, train, and evaluate cutting-edge AI and statistical models using large patient datasets.
- Build robust pipelines for large-scale data processing and benchmarking across modalities.
- Collaborate closely with cancer biologists, clinicians, and other computational researchers to generate testable hypotheses and interpret findings.
- Perform exploratory research in a fast-paced setting with the potential for real impact on patients.
- Contribute to the development of high-quality, reusable, open-source software.
- Publish research in top-tier journals and present at major conferences.
- Help foster a collaborative lab environment by advising and supporting junior team members.
Minimum qualifications:
- Ph.D. (or near completion) in a relevant field such as Computational Biology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative discipline.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Python, R and/or other scientific computing languages.
- Proven track record of productivity through peer-reviewed publications.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Proven experience working with high-dimensional, multi-modal omics data and clinical data.
- Strong background in advanced statistical modeling and/or modern machine learning approaches (e.g. transformers, foundation models, generative modeling, interpretable AI).
- Knowledge of cancer biology, immunology, or molecular biology.
- Familiarity with cloud computing and workflow management (e.g., Nextflow, Snakemake).
- Experience with version control and software engineering practices.
- Interest in contributing to open-source bioinformatics software.
Learn more: https://vazquezgarcialab.mgh.harvard.edu/
Additional Job Details (if Applicable)
Remote Type
Onsite
Work Location
149 Thirteenth Street Building 149
EEO Statement
1200 The General Hospital Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.
Mass General Brigham Competency Framework
At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.