We are seeking a highly motivated early-career Postdoctoral Research Fellow with strong, hands-on expertise in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biology. This position is best suited for a recent PhD graduate or researcher within approximately three years of completing their PhD who is interested in developing iPSC-based platforms for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and translational research.
Direct experimental expertise with human iPSCs is the primary requirement for this position. General mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, or biomaterials experience is desirable but will not substitute for substantial hands-on experience maintaining, expanding, differentiating, and characterizing human iPSCs.
Required Qualifications
Applicants must have:
- A PhD in stem cell biology, developmental biology, cell biology, molecular biology, biomedical sciences, bioengineering, or a closely related field
- A PhD completed recently, preferably within the past three years
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with human iPSC culture, including feeder-free maintenance, passaging, expansion, cryopreservation, recovery, and routine troubleshooting
- Experience developing, optimizing, or executing directed differentiation protocols for human iPSCs
- Experience assessing pluripotency, differentiation efficiency, cellular identity, purity, viability, and functional phenotype using molecular and cellular assays
- Knowledge of iPSC quality control, including morphology, mycoplasma testing, genomic stability, contamination prevention, and line-to-line or batch-to-batch variability
- A strong publication record relevant to stem cell biology, iPSC differentiation, developmental biology, tissue engineering, or regenerative medicine
- Strong experimental, analytical, written, and oral communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with one or more of the following is preferred:
- CRISPR-Cas genome editing, transfection or nucleofection, single-cell cloning, clone screening, and validation of edited iPSC lines
- Differentiation of human iPSCs into hepatic, endothelial, epithelial, immune, or other therapeutically relevant lineages
- Three-dimensional iPSC culture, embryoid bodies, spheroids, organoids, co-culture systems, or tissue-engineered constructs
- Suspension or aggregate-based iPSC expansion, bioreactor culture, scale-up, or process development
- Single-cell analysis, transcriptomics, high-content imaging, functional assays, or advanced flow cytometry
- Biomaterials, hydrogels, bioprinting, microfluidics, or GMP-aligned and translational cell-therapy workflows
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Maintain, expand, cryopreserve, recover, and quality-control human iPSC lines
- Develop, optimize, and reproduce directed differentiation protocols for selected cell lineages
- Generate and characterize gene-edited or otherwise engineered iPSC lines, when required by the project
- Establish robust assays for pluripotency, lineage identity, purity, viability, maturation, and cellular function
- Investigate and troubleshoot variability related to iPSC lines, culture conditions, differentiation batches, and experimental scale-up
- Design and execute independent research studies and analyze and interpret experimental data
- Prepare manuscripts, presentations, reports, protocols, and grant-related materials
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of stem cell biologists, engineers, immunologists, and clinicians
- Mentor junior researchers and contribute to laboratory organization, quality systems, and shared iPSC workflows
Important Applicant Guidance
This position requires substantial direct experimental experience with human iPSCs. Applications focused primarily on general mammalian cell culture, cancer cell lines, mesenchymal stem cells, molecular biology, computational biology, clinical research, or biomaterials without sustained hands-on human iPSC experience will not be considered.
Applicants should clearly describe their personal contributions to iPSC maintenance, expansion, cryopreservation, differentiation, genome editing or clonal work, quality control, and phenotypic or functional characterization in their cover letter and curriculum vitae.
Brief exposure to iPSCs through coursework, collaboration, use of pre-differentiated commercial cells, or occasional maintenance of an established line does not by itself meet the experience requirement.
Candidates whose experience is limited to routine culture without independently optimizing differentiation, troubleshooting iPSC quality, or interpreting lineage-specific outcomes are unlikely to be competitive.
