Assistant to Associate Member, Immunology Research

10 Roswell Park Cancer Institute; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Immunology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center invites applications for an academic faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level. The role emphasizes building an independent program in tumor immunology or immunotherapy development and application.

The successful candidate will publish in peer‑reviewed journals, secure external funding, mentor trainees, and collaborate with clinicians to translate discoveries into potential therapies.

Qualifications

• PhD/MD/MD-PhD or equivalent with research in immunology or cancer biology.
• Record of peer‑reviewed publications relevant to cancer immunology or immunotherapy.
• Ability to establish an independent research program and secure external funding.

Responsibilities

• Establish or expand an independent research program in tumor immunology and secure external funding.
• Publish research discoveries in peer‑reviewed journals and present at scientific meetings.
• Collaborate with scientists, physician‑scientists, and clinicians; develop preclinical models or use patient samples.
• Mentor graduate students, postdocs, and trainees; contribute to graduate teaching.
• Participate in seminars and Cancer Center programs; lead a research team with rigorous science.
• Foster an inclusive training environment and ethical conduct.

Skills

Tumor immunology

Immunotherapy

External funding

Education

Doctoral degree in an appropriate scientific or clinical-based discipline

Job description

Assistant to Associate Member, Immunology Research

Job Type: Regular Company: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Department: Immunology Time Type: Full time Weekly Hours: 40 FTE: 1 Shift: First Shift (United States of America)

Summary: About the Role The Department of Immunology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center invites applications for an academic faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level. Appointment rank will be based on the candidate’s experience, research, and academic accomplishments. We seek an innovative investigator whose work addresses fundamental questions in tumor immunology or immunotherapy development and application. Roswell Park offers faculty the resources and laboratory space to explore original and compelling scientific problems through an independent program in basic, translational, or clinical research across solid and hematologic malignancies. We welcome research broadly in tumor immunology, with special emphasis on the tumor microenvironment, cancer immunotherapy and resistance, computational immunology, or fundamental lymphocyte biology. Cancer immunotherapies may include developing engineered cell therapies, cancer vaccines, or recombinant oncolytic viruses alone or in combination with standard of care or other experimental modalities. For Assistant Professor candidates, we look for the potential to establish and sustain a productive research program. For Associate Professor candidates, current peer-reviewed funding and a demonstrated ability to sustain such a program are highly preferred.

What You’ll Do

• Establish or expand an independent research program in tumor immunology and secure external funding to sustain it.
• Publish research discoveries in peer-reviewed journals of the field and present findings at scientific meetings.
• Collaborate with scientists, physician-scientists, and clinicians. Where relevant, establish preclinical models or patient specimens to investigate mechanisms of tumor development or progression or therapeutic resistance, and inform new treatment strategies for potential clinical studies.
• Mentor graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other trainees. Contribute to graduate teaching through Roswell Park’s Tumor Immunology PhD track.
• Participate in departmental seminars and contribute to the Tumor Immunology & Immunotherapy Program and related Cancer Center Support Grant activities, as appropriate to rank.
• Lead a research team that values rigorous and responsible science, ethics in the conduct of responsible research, and an inclusive training environment.

About the Department Roswell Park is a freestanding comprehensive cancer center. Cancer research, patient care, and graduate training are all within the same institution, offering faculty direct opportunities to collaborate with clinicians and across different scientific disciplines. Mentorship of both early-stage faculty and trainees is robust, helping to ensure their success in a setting focused entirely on cancer. Founded in 1898 as the first institution in the world dedicated exclusively to cancer, Roswell Park became one of the three original NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in 1972. The Department of Immunology is home to an established, externally funded research community that spans fundamental immune biology and the development of new cancer therapies. Faculty study how the immune system recognizes tumors, why those responses fail, and how they can be restored or redirected. Through the Tumor Immunology & Immunotherapy Program and other Cancer Center Support Grant scientific programs, investigators work across departments and partner with Roswell Park clinicians to study patient samples and pursue important questions that arise in the clinic.

The successful candidate will receive a competitive startup package and laboratory space in the 300,000-square-foot Life Sciences Complex on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, with access to Roswell Park’s Shared Resources. Faculty contribute to the Cancer Sciences Graduate Education Program and have the opportunity to participate as preceptors in the NCI-funded Tumor Immunology Graduate Training Program (T32CA085183).

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Join one of the nation’s first NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center committed to transforming cancer care, research, and education
• Collaborate within a highly interdisciplinary academic environment dedicated to innovation, mentorship, and scientific discovery
• Access a robust institutional research infrastructure of shared resources, including those dedicated to biostatistics, biomedical research informatics, bioinformatics, genomics, imaging, and patient materials through well-annotated biorepositories
• Utilize precision oncology and epidemiologic data resources through ORIEN (Oncology Research Information Exchange Network)
• Work alongside passionate colleagues deeply committed to community outreach, engagement, and health equity
• Opportunity for an academic appointment with SUNY-University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• Thrive in Buffalo, New York — a welcoming, affordable, and culturally vibrant city with a growing medical and research corridor

What You’ll Bring

• A PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree, with research training in immunology, cancer biology, or a closely related field.
• A record of original, peer-reviewed research relevant to cancer immunology or immunotherapy, commensurate with the rank sought.
• For Assistant Professor, a clear plan for an independent research program and evidence of potential to secure external funding.
• For Associate Professor, an established independent research program and a record of external funding, scientific leadership, and mentorship appropriate to the rank sought.
• The ability to collaborate across disciplines and contribute to graduate education and trainee development.

Qualifications: Required Education and Experience

Doctoral degree in an appropriate scientific or clinical-based discipline and the equivalent of four (4) years of full-time experience in an applicable scientific or clinical research environment. NOTE: Degrees must be conferred by an accredited school, college, or university, or by an institution recognized by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and/or Health Research Incorporated as adhering to acceptable educational standards.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation (RPCIC) is committed to equal employment opportunity. We do not discriminate against employees, applicants, or job seekers on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, performance, and business needs. We are committed to maintaining a fair, respectful workplace where employees are valued for their contributions and supported in advancing our mission.

Reasonable Accommodation Request

RPCIC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, employment process, or to perform your job, please contact [e-mail] and provide information about your request and preferred contact method.

Our Core Values

RPCIC is committed to fostering an environment where patients, families, employees, volunteers, and members of our community are treated with dignity, courtesy, and respect. We believe our mission is strengthened when individuals contribute their experiences, perspectives, and ideas and work together toward a common purpose. Our actions are guided by our core values of Innovation, Integrity, Teamwork, Commitment, Compassion, and Respect.

Historical Compensation Information Statement

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations at [phone] or via email at [e-mail].

Welcome to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

One of the largest employers in Western New York, Roswell Park has over 3,500 employees and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in New York outside of New York City. Founded in 1898 by Dr. Roswell Park as America’s first cancer center, Roswell Park set the standard for cancer centers across the country and world to follow. Equipped with the best facilities and the single objective of curing cancer, we have the sharpest and most creative minds working together in the classroom, laboratory and clinic to accelerate discovery and speed the delivery of promising new cancer treatments. The Institute is recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as one of only 51 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the U.S. This designation signifies that all research, treatment and educational programs meet rigorous national standards and that the Institute has contributed fundamentally to the fight against cancer. Roswell Park is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers. A not-for-profit organization, the NCCN brings together the best minds in science to engineer continuous quality improvements in cancer care, improves the effectiveness of cancer care delivery through the ongoing collection and analysis of outcome data on a national basis, enhances communications and collaboration among member institutions, offers access to the latest, most promising clinical trials, and provides best practice guidelines and measurement tools. Roswell Park has achieved accreditation from the The Joint Commission (TJC) as a result of its demonstrated compliance with TJC's nationally recognized health care standards. The innovative quality of our faculty’s research has earned Roswell Park a place among the National Cancer Institute’s top grantees. Over the past century, Roswell Park has been the source of historic breakthroughs in the field of oncology. Roswell Park initiated the nation’s first chemotherapy research program. Roswell Park conducted some of the earliest studies linking smoking to lung cancer. Roswell Park developed the PSA test for prostate-cancer screening. Roswell Park developed photodynamic therapy (PDT), approved by the FDA for the treatment of esophageal cancer and non‑cell lung cancer, and precancerous lesions in patients with Barrett's esophagus. Roswell Park is now developing the second generation of PDT drugs. Roswell Park geneticists created the gene library used to map and sequence the human genome. An Roswell Park geneticist was part of the research team involved in the international effort.