Postdoctoral Researcher

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to join a lab focused on innate immunity to RNA viruses under the NIH DP2 Next-Generation Interferons project.

The successful candidate will contribute to experimental design, data analysis, and publication of findings on interferon biology and host defense mechanisms. The Le Pen Lab operates within the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard Chan, with affiliations to Harvard Medical School.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in immunology, virology, genetics, molecular biology or related field.
• Strong experimental design and data analysis skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication abilities.
• Proficiency in standard cell culture and molecular biology techniques.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Evidence of publishing research.
• Expertise in interferon biology or innate immunity is a plus.
• Expertise in bioinformatics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and perform experiments on innate immunity to RNA viruses.
• Help develop a research direction aligned with the DP2 award priorities.
• Collaborate with Harvard Chan and core facilities; mentor junior researchers.
• Present findings at conferences and contribute to proposal writing.
• Publish results and contribute to scientific communications.

Skills

Experimental design

Data analysis

Oral communication

Written communication

Cell culture

Molecular biology

Independent work

Collaborative

Publications experience

Interferon biology

Innate immunity

Virology

Bioinformatics (plus)

Education

PhD in Immunology or related field

Job description

Our research

The Le Pen Lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to join our research on innate immunity to RNA viruses. The position is funded by the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2), Next-Generation Interferons: Mapping and Engineering Antiviral Function (NIAID, 2026–2031).https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/le-pen-lab/

We seek to explain a fundamental paradox in human disease: why common viral infections cause little harm in most individuals yet lead to life-threatening or chronic disease in others. We investigate the cell-intrinsic mechanisms of innate immunity that enable cells to detect viruses, limit infection, and resolve immune activation once the pathogen has been cleared.

We focus on long-lived, irreplaceable cell types such as neurons and pancreatic β cells, which, unlike epithelial cells, must survive infection while keeping their specialized functions. Two questions organize the work:

• How do infected cells control viral replication while preserving the functions required for normal tissue function?
• How are antiviral and inflammatory responses actively shut down once a threat has been eliminated?

The DP2 project

Interferon fails in opposite directions: too weak, and ordinary viruses become lethal; too strong or too prolonged, and it drives inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The project attempts to uncouple the wanted and the undesired effects of interferon, combining human genetics, functional screening and biochemistry.

The fellow will take on a substantial part of this program, with scope to develop a research direction that is original but fits the aims of the award and the priorities of the group.

The environment

• The DP2 runs until 2031, giving the project a long funding horizon to start from, and we expect it to bring in further grants as it develops.
• The lab was established in December 2024, with dedicated space, BSL-2+ and BSL-3 access, and exceptional institutional cores and scientific environment on the Harvard medical campus in Longwood. The successful candidate will help shape its direction and culture.
• We sit in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard Chan, with a secondary affiliation with the Harvard Medical School Department of Microbiology and membership of the Harvard Program in Virology. Fellows are supported in attending conferences, giving talks, writing proposals and mentoring.
• Ph.D. in a relevant field (immunology, virology, genetics, molecular biology, structural biology or related).
• Strong skills in experimental design, data analysis, and oral and written communication.
• Proficiency in standard cell culture and molecular biology techniques.
• Highly creative, able to work independently and collaboratively.
• Proven success in publishing research papers.
• Expertise in interferon biology, innate immunity or virology is a plus.
• Expertise in structural biology is a plus.
• Expertise in bioinformatics is a plus.

Salary range

Postgraduate year 0: $70,000

Postgraduate year 1: $72,100

Postgraduate year 2: $74,263

Postgraduate year 3: $76,491

Postgraduate year 4: $78,786

Postgraduate year 5: $81,149

Postgraduate year 6: $83,583

Postgraduate year 7+: $86,091

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