Senior Research Investigator
University of PennsylvaniaAbout the role
University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Senior Research InvestigatorJob Profile Title
Research Investigator, SeniorJob Description Summary
The Fraietta Laboratory within the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies (CCI), seeks to hire a Senior Research Investigator as the scientific lead for integrated CAR T‑cell engineering and mechanistic studies aimed at advancing next‑generation immunotherapies. They conceive and construct novel CAR architectures, incorporating optimized costimulatory domains, safety switches, and armored payloads, and validate their function through rigorous in vitro assays of T‑cell activation, persistence, cytotoxicity, and exhaustion. Concurrently, they design and execute in vivo efficacy and safety studies in murine tumor models to assess biodistribution, therapeutic potency, and toxicity profiles. Leveraging high‑dimensional profiling platforms (single‑cell RNA‑seq, spatial multi‑omics, deep immunophenotyping) and genome‑wide CRISPR screening, they map the tumor immune microenvironment, identify regulators of CAR T fate, and iteratively refine construct design. This role also coordinates translational correlative studies, analyzing patient specimens in collaboration with the Translational and Correlative Sciences Laboratory and clinical partners and integrates those clinical insights back into engineering strategies. In addition, the Senior Research Investigator oversees all aspects of laboratory management to ensure uninterrupted, compliant, and reproducible research operations. Beyond experimental leadership, they mentor junior staff, author manuscripts and grant proposals, ensure strict adherence to biosafety and regulatory standards, and present findings at internal and external scientific venues. Their combined expertise in cellular engineering, translational research, laboratory management, and computational analysis (R/Python) is essential to driving the lab’s mission of delivering durable, life‑saving CAR T therapies.Job Description
Job Responsibilities
Design
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