Postdoc – Stem Cell Disease Modeling and Precision Medicine

Innovative Genomics Institute; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Advanced Translational Genetics (ATG) Lab to advance stem cell disease modeling and precision medicine. The role emphasizes genome engineering, CRISPR screening, and AI-driven data integration to decode disease mechanisms.

Applicants will mentor students, present findings at meetings, and contribute to grant proposals, with a focus on oncology, neurodevelopmental, and metabolic diseases.

Qualifications

• The candidate must hold a PhD (or be enrolled) in a relevant field.
• Experience with pluripotent stem cells and genome engineering is preferred.
• Ability to mentor graduate and undergraduate students and contribute to grants.

Responsibilities

• Lead genome engineering projects and differentiation to disease-relevant cell types.
• Design and execute CRISPR screening campaigns and molecular workflows.
• Develop computational pipelines for multi-omics data and AI-driven insights.
• Mentor lab members and contribute to manuscript preparation and conferences.
• Support grant writing and proposals for federal and private sponsors.

Skills

CRISPR screening

Large-scale tissue culture

Molecular biology workflows

Computational data analysis

AI modeling

Scientific mentoring

Education

PhD in relevant field

Tools

NGS sequencing

Lentiviral production

Molecular cloning

Job description

The Innovative Genomics Institute at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar Employee in the Advanced Translational Genetics (ATG) Lab, in the area of stem cell disease modeling and precision medicine.

The ATG Lab investigates the genetic and molecular underpinnings of human disease through the integration of high-throughput pluripotent stem cell (PSC) models. By combining precise genome editing, automated cell engineering, and multiplexed CRISPR screening with single-cell multi-omics and AI modeling, we are building a state-of-the-art cell type-specific disease modeling that provide unique therapeutic discovery platforms. Our mission is to decode complex disease mechanisms and accelerate the development of precision medicine across a broad spectrum of conditions, including oncology, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic diseases.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in advancing our research through three primary functional domains:

Advanced Genome Engineering & Characterization

• Lead projects under the guidance of the Principal Investigator that involve engineering, differentiation to disease relevant cell types and functional characterization of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
• Execute complex molecular biology workflows, including large-scale tissue culture, PCR, NGS sequencing, high-resolution imaging, and biochemical functional assays to validate disease models.

Scaled CRISPR Discovery

• Design and execute sophisticated CRISPR screening campaigns, from library design and molecular cloning to lentiviral production.
• Manage scaled cell culture operations to support high-throughput genetic perturbations and therapeutic discovery.

Multi-Omic Data Integration & AI Modeling

• Develop and implement computational pipelines to analyze multi-module phenotypic data.
• Utilize pathway analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) modeling to derive biological insights and identify novel therapeutic targets from complex datasets.

In addition to overseeing their own research projects, the Postdoctoral Employee is expected to provide mentoring within the ATG research team.

• Mentorship & Collaboration: Provide technical guidance and professional mentorship to graduate and undergraduate students, fostering a collaborative and inclusive lab environment.
• Scientific Communication: Lead the preparation of high-impact manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and present research findings at national and international conferences.
• Grant Development: Support the lab’s sustainability by contributing preliminary data and strategic writing to federal and private grant proposals (e.g., NIH, NSF).

PhD (or equivalent international degree) or enrolled in a PhD degree program (or equivalent international degree).