Faculty Position: Cancer In Vivo Gene Editing Investigators

This position may be located in Jacksonville, FL or Rochester, MN.

About the Role

The Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCCCC) enterprise sites in Jacksonville, Florida and Rochester, Minnesota invite applications for open-rank faculty positions for innovative and accomplished Cancer In Vivo Gene Editing Investigators (Physicians and Scientists). These positions aim to expand in vivo gene editing efforts in the Mayo Clinic In Vivo Human Gene Editing Program (Precision Genomics: Interventional Therapeutics: PG:IT) and the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Programs in Cell Therapy Discovery and Translational Science.

We seek exceptional investigators (scientists and physicians) with expertise in in vivo genome engineering and gene editing technologies (e.g., CRISPR/Cas systems, base editing, prime editing, epigenome editing, RNA editing, synthetic gene circuits, or related platforms) applied to human cells for ultimate therapeutic development and intervention.

Successful candidates will play a central role in advancing a rapidly growing, multidisciplinary cell therapy program focused on discovery science, translational innovation, and clinical impact. A key component of this role will be close collaboration with established CAR-T and immune cell therapy scientists, leveraging advanced genetic editing strategies to enhance persistence, safety, resistance to exhaustion, efficacy, tumor microenvironment adaptation, and manufacturability. While focusing on cancer applications, candidates will also have opportunities to work in oncology and non-oncology indications across the Mayo Clinic enterprise.

Strategic Role and Leadership Expectations

• Provide scientific expertise and leadership in genome engineering strategies.
• Partner closely with CAR-T investigators and translational immunotherapy teams to develop next-generation engineered immune cell platforms.
• Develop innovative gene editing solutions to improve efficacy, durability, safety switches, multiplex editing strategies, and precision targeting in both malignant and non-malignant disease settings.
• Build scalable and clinically translatable genetic engineering pipelines that accelerate progression from discovery to early-phase clinical trials.
• Contribute to the strategic growth and national visibility of the Mayo Clinic PG:IT Program and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cell Therapy Programs.
• Mentor trainees, junior faculty, and research staff within a collaborative and inclusive academic environment.
• Participate in institutional initiatives aligned with Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center’s vision to Cure, Connect, and Transform healthcare through transformative science.

The successful candidate will integrate advanced genome engineering technologies into existing and emerging cell therapy platforms, enabling novel approaches to immune cell engineering, stem cell modification, in vivo gene editing strategies, and precision genome correction programs.

Research Environment

Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center offer a highly collaborative and integrated academic medical center environment with expanding strengths in cell therapy, cancer immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, and translational science. Key resources include:

• Mayo Clinic Platform, which holds fully digitized longitudinal patient records from 15M Mayo Clinic patients and 54M patients from collaborating healthcare institutions.
• Strong AI-driven discovery, translational, and clinical programs with exceptional computational resources.
• State-of-the-art genome engineering and cell manufacturing infrastructure.
• Access to institutional core facilities including genomics, single-cell sequencing, proteomics, bioinformatics, and advanced imaging.
• Robust disease-focused centers supporting both oncology and non-oncology therapeutic innovation.
• Dedicated institutional support for regulatory strategy, clinical trial development, and commercialization pathways.
• Cross-campus collaboration opportunities with Mayo Clinic sites in Minnesota and Arizona.

About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

With 440 members and over 1500 aligned cancer physicians working in six Cancer Research Programs and 15 Disease Groups, MCCCC is a global leader in cancer care, research, and education. Annually, MCCCC physicians provide expert cancer diagnosis and treatment to more than 150,000 unique patients across its three enterprise sites.

Mission: To inspire hope and promote health and healing through integrated research, clinical practice, and education, centered around the primary value: the needs of the patient come first.

Vision: To be a global cancer authority: transforming cancer research and practice to assure that our discoveries, knowledge, and expertise are accessible to all, within and beyond our walls, at any place and anytime.

Goals:

• Cure cancers through translation of innovative transdisciplinary science to new means of prevention, early detection, interception, intervention, and unparalleled care delivery.
• Transform cancer research and practice using data platforms, digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and intelligent automation.
• Engage patients and communities in cancer research and decentralized clinical trials via Mayo Clinic Platform.
• Educate, train, and mentor the next generation of cancer physicians, scientists, and leaders.

MCCCC has achieved exceptional performance metrics, including $61.2M in annual peer-reviewed funding ($41.1M from NCI) and $98.7M in industry and non-peer-reviewed funding. The Center holds over 80 multi-investigator programmatic grants, including 6 NCI Specialized Programs of Research Emphasis (SPORES) in Myeloma, Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer, Liver/Hepatobiliary Cancers, Prostate Cancer, and Sarcoma. In 2025, clinical trial accrual included 2,624 therapeutic interventional trials (12% of newly registered cases) and 10,367 non-interventional accruals. MCCCC members published 1,776 peer-reviewed works, with 24% in high-impact journals.

Benefits

• Competitive startup and sustained institutional support.
• Investment in team science and program-building initiatives.
• Access to a $1B+ annual research enterprise.
• Infrastructure for IND-enabling studies and early-phase clinical trials.
• Exceptional benefits, including retirement and pension programs.
• A culture that values innovation, inclusion, and transdisciplinary collaboration.

Qualifications

Qualified candidates must hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D., Sc.D., or equivalent) in genetics, molecular biology, immunology, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline.

• A strong record of high-impact, peer-reviewed publications in genome editing, immune engineering, or related fields.
• Sustained extramural funding appropriate to academic rank (NIH K award or equivalent for Assistant Professor; R01-level funding or equivalent for Associate Professor or higher).
• Experience collaborating across disciplines, particularly with immunotherapy or CAR-T research programs.
• Evidence of scientific leadership and the ability to build and participate in collaborative, multidisciplinary research programs.
• A demonstrated commitment to mentorship, education, and fostering an inclusive academic culture.

Appointment level (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) will be commensurate with experience and years in rank, scholarly achievement, leadership experience, and funding record.

Schedule

• Full Time
• 80 hours per pay period
• Day shift