Faculty Position: Cancer Cell Surfaceome​/Novel Therapeutic Design Scientist

Responsibilities

Position Description The Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona invites applications for an open-rank faculty position with a commitment to advancing cancer research into clinical impact. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona is building a world-class research hub to transform cancer patient care through actionable target discovery and next-generation therapeutic platforms. This initiative sits at the intersection of basic discovery science defining cell surfaceome mapping and immune-antigen discovery, through the development of cellular therapeutics, vaccine manufacturing, immuno-therapeutics, and theranostics, supported by strong clinical and clinical trial programs and strategic collaborations.

Qualified investigators will have a focus along the continuum from discovery science on the identification and characterization of cancer-related epitopes and the associated immunologic response as the foundation of novel therapeutics for clinical deployment in the setting of cancer prevention in high-risk individuals, early cancer detection, mitigation of nascent cancer progression (“cancer interception”), and therapeutic applications for established disease. Potential therapeutic designs include but are not limited to cellular therapeutics, vaccine modalities and radiotheranostics.

• Participate in institutional initiatives aligned with Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center’s vision to Cure, Connect, and Transform cancer care through transformative science.
• Lead an independent, externally funded research program in developmental therapeutics for translational science focused within the continuum of cancer cell surfaceome mapping through novel cancer therapeutics. This may include:
  • Identification and validation of novel tumor antigens (“neoantigens”) for applications in therapeutics and diagnostics (theranostics).
  • Characterization of immunologic response to cancer-related immunopeptidomics
  • Contribute to the development of next-generation therapeutic platforms such as immunotherapies, cellular therapies, and nucleic acid-based vaccines
  • Conduct/coordinate pre-IND enabling research for acceleration of novel therapeutics into First-In-Human early phase clinical trials
  • Contribute to the development of next-generation therapeutic platforms focused on immunotherapies, cellular therapies, antibodies/nanobodies, radiopharmaceuticals and nucleic acid-based vaccines.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to translate discoveries into clinical-grade therapeutics with coordination of internal/external manufacturing processes.
• Actively engage in Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center activities.
• Engage in enterprise-wide collaborations across Mayo Clinic sites (Rochester, MN; Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ; Jacksonville, FL) with external partners, including Arizona State University, and numerous biotechnology partners.
• Mentor trainees and contribute to a collaborative, inclusive research environment.

• RNA Biology & Transcriptomic Insights:
  Leverage bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize tumor-specific expression, alternative splicing events, RNA editing, and non-canonical transcripts (e.g., fusion genes, retained introns, dark proteins).
• Immunopeptidomics & Antigen Presentation:
  Utilize mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics to directly profile peptides presented on HLA molecules. Map the repertoire of naturally presented tumor-associated and tumor-specific antigens to validate biological relevance beyond transcript-level predictions.
• AI-Driven Target Prediction & Prioritization:
  Develop and apply machine learning and deep learning models to predict antigen processing, HLA binding affinity, peptide stability, and immunogenicity.
• Immune Receptor Discovery & Modeling: TCR/BCR repertoire analysis and/or deep learning approaches for antigen prediction and functional immune response assessment.
• Binder & Platform Development:
  Generation of antibodies, nanobodies, peptides, or RNA-based payloads adaptable across therapeutic modalities. Translate target discovery to immunotherapy,…