Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow, Oncology Translational Research

About the role

The Discovery Postdoctoral Fellow will join the Oncology Translational Research team in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and pursue an innovative research project at the forefront of biomedical science and drug discovery. The fellow will work alongside leading scientists in a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environment while gaining exposure to the broader ecosystem that translates scientific discovery into medicines.

Research Opportunity

Cell surface proteins play critical roles in mediating interactions between cells and their environment and represent important therapeutic targets in oncology, including radioligand therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, and immune cell engagers. This three-year postdoctoral fellowship, co-mentored by scientists from Oncology Translational Research and Discovery Sciences, offers a unique opportunity to build a broadly enabling surface proteomics platform while uncovering disease-relevant cancer proteoforms that may reveal novel therapeutic targets and translational biomarkers.

Key Responsibilities

• Co-create a comprehensive research plan with scientific mentors, integrating emerging scientific literature and innovative methodologies.
• Execute experiments, interpret results, and drive scientific decision-making.
• Develop and validate novel in vitro methods for cell surface proteoform enrichment and mass spectrometry-based characterization.
• Apply scalable approaches to characterize surface protein and proteoform composition in models of therapeutic response and resistance.
• Optimize methods for tissue-based applications and translational studies.
• Communicate scientific findings to cross-functional project teams and key stakeholders.
• Present research at internal and external scientific meetings.
• Publish novel discoveries in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Why Join the Program?

• Mentorship from accomplished scientific leaders and subject matter experts.
• Access to advanced technologies, platforms, and research capabilities.
• Collaboration across disciplines and organizational boundaries.
• Participation in a global and diverse postdoctoral community.
• Dedicated learning and development programming designed to support long-term career growth.
• Personalized experiential learning opportunities through the Postdoc Practicum.
• Opportunities to publish research, present at leading scientific conferences, and build an international scientific network.
• Exposure to emerging technologies and artificial intelligence applications that are shaping the future of biomedical research.

Essential Requirements

• PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant scientific discipline such as Oncology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Chemical Biology, or a related field, completed prior to the fellowship start date.
• PhD conferred in 2026. This fellowship is intended for scientists immediately following completion of doctoral training.
• Demonstrated record of scientific achievement through publications, presentations, patents, or equivalent accomplishments.
• Strong commitment to learning, innovation, and professional development.
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with in vitro models and handling preclinical and/or clinical tissue samples.
• Hands-on experience with protein analysis and cellular characterization techniques, including Western blotting, ELISA, protein labeling, immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry, high-content imaging, and microscopy.
• Interest in exploring emerging technologies and translating new approaches into impactful research applications.
• Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within matrixed scientific teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with mass spectrometry and proteomics data generation, analysis, and visualization.
• Experience using analytics and visualization tools such as Spotfire and R.
• Experience in oncology translational research.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and cover letter by July 25th, 2026. In your cover letter, describe your research interests, career aspirations, and how this fellowship will support your long-term development.

Compensation & Benefits

The starting salary for this position is 87,000 USD per year.

US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

EEO Statement

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.