Postdoctoral Researcher in Synthetic Biology and Genomics (Horns Lab) at Arc Institute
Job Description
Arc Institute’s Horns Lab is hiring postdoctoral researchers who build synthetic biology and genomics tools to study how cells change over time in the immune system, the brain and other tissues, with an emphasis on immunology and neuroscience.
At a glance
- Role: Postdoctoral Researcher, Horns Lab
- Where: Palo Alto, California, USA
- Pay: Minimum base salary US$80,000 a year, set by months of postdoctoral experience
- Level: PhD, MD, MD/PhD, DVM or equivalent
- Apply: open until filled (re-checked 12 October 2026)
About the Horns Lab postdoc
- Design, execute and analyse experiments, owning a project end to end with guidance from the PI
- Tackle questions such as measuring cellular dynamics non-destructively at scale, how extracellular vesicles and virus-like particles interact with cells, engineering delivery systems that target specific cell types, and how immune cells change state and interact with tissues over time
- Publish first-author papers, present at national and international conferences, and build collaborations across Arc, Stanford and beyond
- Mentor research associates, technicians and students, and contribute to lab operations and Arc-wide seminars and symposia
Arc postdocs are encouraged to lead ambitious, independent projects and can draw on shared platforms for genomics, single-cell technologies, synthetic biology, computation and experimental model systems across Arc and its partner universities.
What Arc Institute is looking for
- A doctorate (PhD, MD, MD/PhD, DVM or equivalent) in bioengineering, synthetic biology, genomics, immunology, neuroscience, molecular biology or a related field
- A strong foundation in synthetic biology or genomics technology development, and/or in immunology or neuroscience
- Excellent communication, including a record of scientific writing (manuscripts, preprints or equivalent)
- The ability to propose and drive new research directions, and eagerness to learn new techniques
Nice to have
- Single-cell sequencing and analysis (scRNA-seq, scATAC-seq, CITE-seq)
- Spatial transcriptomics and multi-omics
- Pooled perturbation screens (CRISPRi/a/KO, Perturb-seq) and high-throughput library screening in mammalian cells
- Building new sequencing-based assays, protein design and engineering, or mammalian genetic circuit design
- Immune cell biology or engineering
Pay and location
Arc lists a minimum base salary of US$80,000 a year for this postdoc. The actual base salary depends on how many months of relevant postdoctoral experience the successful candidate has, and Arc says it is not negotiable. The role is based at Arc’s Palo Alto headquarters.
How to apply
Apply through the official Arc Institute job posting. Arc Institute’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 12 October 2026. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.
See all our postdoctoral fellowships, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Arc Institute
Official advertisement: job-boards.greenhouse.io
How to prepare for this application
- Cellular recording: read about methods that record cell histories or interactions for later readout by sequencing.
- Delivery biology: know the basics of extracellular vesicles, virus-like particles and targeted cytosolic delivery.
- Single-cell methods: be ready to design an experiment using Perturb-seq or spatial transcriptomics.
- Cross-training: the lab values people strong in one area and keen to learn others; say which you bring and which you want to learn.
- Writing: bring a preprint or paper you wrote and explain its key figure.
About Arc Institute
Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organisation working at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, it partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, and gives its scientists long-term philanthropic funding with industry-like resources. Its two institute-wide initiatives are building a virtual cell model and mapping the causes of Alzheimer's disease, and more than 300 people work at its headquarters.
