Scientist I, Synthetic Biology

Biohub is the first large-scale initiative bringing frontier AI models, massive compute, and frontier experimental capabilities under one roof. We're building a general-purpose system to accelerate scientific discovery, integrating frontier AI models, biological foundation models, and lab capabilities, with the ultimate goal of curing disease. Our technology powers scientists around the world, translating AI capabilities into tools that accelerate research everywhere.

The Team

The Biohub in New York is an independent nonprofit research institute that brings together three powerhouse universities - Columbia University, The Rockefeller University, and Yale University - into a single collaborative technology and discovery engine. Biohub itself supports some of the brightest, boldest engineers, data scientists, and biomedical researchers to investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying disease and develop new technologies that will lead to actionable diagnostics and effective therapies. We are guided by our values of scholarly excellence; disruptive innovation; hands-on engineering/hacking/building; partnership and collaboration; open communication and respect; inclusiveness; and opportunity for all.

Our Vision                                                                     

• We pursue large scientific challenges that cannot be pursued in conventional environments
• We enable individual investigators to pursue their riskiest and most innovative ideas
• The technologies developed at Biohub facilitate research by scientists and clinicians at our home institutions and beyond

Diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives are at the heart of Biohub and enable disruptive innovation and scholarly excellence. We are committed to cultivating an organization where all colleagues feel inspired and know their work makes an important contribution.

The Opportunity

The Biohub is seeking an accomplished Scientist  I to lead innovative investigations into spatial architecture of molecular systems and its role in controlling cell state dynamics. In our newly established Synthetic Spatial Omics Laboratory, we advance next-generation spatial multi-omics platforms for understanding how cells process combinatorial signals, designing synthetic biology toolkits, and capturing cellular temporal histories with spatial resolution.

The successful candidate will lead independent research projects integrating spatial multi-omics, synthetic biology, and systems-level analysis to investigate molecular neighborhood reorganization in response to perturbations, engineer programmable cellular functions, and identify the molecular drivers of cell state transitions. This position offers the opportunity to drive both technology development and fundamental discovery in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment. 

What You'll Do

• Lead the development and application of imaging-based multi-omics technologies (e.g., seqFISH and related approaches) to map subcellular molecular organization and cell state transitions.
• Design and perform perturbation experiments to decode how molecular neighborhoods respond to combinatorial signals.
• Engineer synthetic biology systems and profile their behavior using spatial multi-omics to understand and program cellular functions.
• Lead analysis of high-dimensional imaging and sequencing datasets using computational and machine learning approaches to identify organizational and regulatory principles. 
• Collaborate closely with researchers across genomics, synthetic biology, machine learning, and related disciplines.
• Contribute to and lead preprints, publications, presentations, and open science practices.

What You'll Bring

Essential - 

• PhD in Systems Biology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, Bioengineering or a closely related discipline.
• 3-4+ years of postdoctoral or equivalent research experience, with a strong record of scientific productivity.
• Demonstrated expertise in imaging-based omics and/or sequencing-based single-cell technologies.
• Expertise in molecular biology techniques, including cell culture, nucleic acid workflows, and cellular functional assays.
• Strong computational skills in Python, R, or comparable languages, with experience analyzing large-scale imaging and sequencing datasets.
• Proven ability to independently conceptualize research directions, design rigorous experiments, troubleshoot complex workflows, and lead projects from conception to publication.
• Collaborative mindset and strong scientific communication skills.

Nice to have - 

• Established track record in developing novel experimental or computational technologies.
• Prior work with imaging-based transcriptomics or genomics technologies.
• Prior work with immune cell types or immune cell engineering.
• Expertise in synthetic biology, CRISPR technologies, or engineered cell systems.
• Experience with temporal genomics, molecular recording, or lineage-tracing approaches.
• Background in regulatory network analysis, signaling dynamics, or models of cellular computation.

Compensation

The New York City, NY base pay range for a new hire in this role is $120,000.00 - $150,000.00. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. 

Benefits for the Whole You 

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible. 

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice. 
• Funding for select family-forming benefits. 
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

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