Two Postdoctoral Scholar Positions, Pathobiology Dept, Dr. Nicola Mason Lab

Two Postdoctoral Scholar Positions, Pathobiology Dept, Dr.
Nicola Mason Lab

Location: University of Pennsylvania - School of Veterinary
Medicine

Open Date: Oct 23, 2026

Deadline:

The Mason Lab in the Department of Pathobiology, at the University
of Pennsylvania (Penn) is

recruiting Postdoctoral Scholars to join our team within the
Comparative Immunotherapy Program. Our work focuses on developing
comparative immunotherapeutic approaches to study correlative
biomarkers of immune response in canine patients with spontaneous
disease processes including cancer and autoimmunity. Our
comparative approach leverages naturally occurring diseases in
client owned, pet dogs to inform human and veterinary medicine. Our
lab has a particular interest in engineered cell-based therapeutics
(e.g. CAR-T, TIL therapeutics), checkpoint inhibitors and
bi-specific T cell engagers. In collaboration with partner labs at
the University of Pennsylvania, we are working to identify
biomarkers of immune response within canine patient populations,
including phenotypic and functional characteristics of various
immune cell populations and their interactions with immune
suppressive and stromal elements within the tumor microenvironment,
serum metabolites and gut microbiome.

Some of the techniques our group applies are:

• Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, ELISpot,

cytotoxicity assays

• CRISPR/Cas9 editing and gene transfer technologies (lentiviral,

retroviral, electroporation)

• Advanced sequencing technologies, at single cell and bulk

levels.

• Seahorse flux assays, LC/MS analysis
• Clinical in vivo assessments (client owned animals with

spontaneous disease processes)

We aim to advance:

• novel immunotherapeutics for cancer and autoimmunity both in

companion animal and human species

• baseline markers of prognosis for patient stratification to

immunotherapeutic clinical trials

• novel technologies applied to veterinary species to address

outstanding biological questions centered on immune response and
immunological fitness

Disease areas of focus include, but are not limited to B cell
lymphoma, osteosarcoma, histiocytic sarcoma, squamous cell
carcinoma, and auto-immunity including pemphigus and hemolytic
anemia.

The training/mentorship opportunities are in the following areas
(among others):

• Developing engineered autologous and allogeneic cell-based

therapies for assessment in canine patients

with cancer or autoimmunity.

• Developing novel biologics centered on bi-specific T cell

engagers and identifying correlative biomarkers of

response in canine patients

• Investigate mechanisms of resistance to checkpoint inhibitors in

solid tumors

• Studying cancer-immune cell interactions within the primary and

metastatic tumor microenvironment using

functional biology approaches & advanced in-situ
sequencing/data analytics.

Prospective trainees can expect the following: Mentorship, Freedom,
Resources, Exciting Science, & Fun.

Further details can be found here:
Mason Lab

Qualifications

(1) A proven record of publication (this can include bioRxiv and/or
arXiv papers, or about to publish),

(2) Skills in the following areas are required: molecular biology,
cell culture, and animal work, computational skills in one or more
of the following areas are desirable but not required: next
generation sequencing data analysis, statistics, and machine
learning.

Application Instructions

Start date and term are negotiable.

Candidates should have a Ph.D. and a demonstrated interest in
comparative immunology and immunobiology

Applicants are required to submit the following materials through
Interfolio:

1) CV

2) Cover letter

3) A list of 3 referees

Questions or follow up inquiries can be emailed to Dr. Mason at
nmason@vet.upenn.edu

To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/196310

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer.
Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race,
color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin
(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship
status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected
under applicable federal, state, or local law.

je-bc9ee2b35ac944ea932fa70d5744f649