Postdoctoral Researcher, Jain Lab

About Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accelerate scientific progress and understand the root causes of complex diseases. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco.

Unlike academia, our scientists have long-term funding and industry-like resources. Unlike industry, they're free to pursue high-risk, long-term research without commercial pressures. Arc's Technology Centers and Core Investigator labs work side by side, integrating experimental and computational biology under one roof to tackle problems neither could solve alone.

Our two Institute Initiatives reflect this model in action:

• Virtual Cell Initiative: Building a full-stack virtual cell model to identify disease mechanisms and nominate drug targets, accelerating the path from biological insight to clinical trials.
• Alzheimer's Disease Initiative: Mapping the genes, pathways, and environmental factors behind Alzheimer's disease to develop drug candidates that address root causes.

More than 300 Arconauts work together at our Palo Alto headquarters, backed by substantial long-term philanthropic funding.

About the position

The Jain Lab is looking for motivated, hard-working and curious applicants. At a high level, we study how organisms interact with their environments – how “what we breathe” and “what we eat” affects our metabolism and disease progression. More specifically, we are focused on oxygen and vitamin/cofactor metabolism. We recently discovered that chronic hypoxia (equivalent to living in the mountains of Peru or Nepal) can serve as a therapy for mitochondrial disease. This approach is currently in clinical trials. This work has inspired a broader set of research directions ranging from fundamental biochemistry to animal physiology.

The questions we ask:

1. How do cells and organisms sense oxygen or vitamin levels? Are there novel oxygen sensors and vitamin sensors to be found?
2. How does the body adapt to variations in oxygen levels? Or vitamin levels?
3. When the supply and demand of oxygen or vitamins becomes mismatched, how does this contribute to disease?
4. Can we “turn the oxygen and vitamin dials” as creative new therapies?
5. What is the most practical form of turning these concepts into translatable therapies?

The approach we take: CRISPR screens, metabolomics, classical biochemistry/molecular biology, animal physiology and beyond.

Post-docs will be encouraged to lead independent projects resulting in high impact publications, present at conferences and prepare for long-term careers in academia or industry.

About you

• You are extremely curious and self-motivated to push the boundaries of biomedical research.
• You thrive in a fast-paced environment while conducting rigorous and impactful research.
• You are intellectually independent and are able to design new research directions and projects (with input from your PI).
• You are eager to learn and adapt new techniques.
• You are excited by solving puzzles that have a translational impact.

In this position you will

• Find new functions for enzymes or cofactors (vitamins)
• Contribute to our molecular understanding of how key metabolites are sensed by the body.
• Develop novel therapeutic strategies for nutrient-based therapies.
• Collaborate with post-docs and students to understand how enzymes and metabolites interact for key biochemical functions.
• Publish, present, and represent that lab in journals and conferences.
• Present at lab meetings, and participate in Arc-wide activities (seminars, symposiums, etc).

Requirements

• PhD in metabolism, animal physiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, or related field
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and be both an independent thinker and a highly collaborative team player.

The minimum base salary for this position is $80,000. Base salary for this role is determined by how many months of relevant postdoctoral experience a successful candidate has. Base salary for this role is not negotiable.