Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research

Position ID:MIT-KochInstitute-MSFELLOW [#20801]
Position Title: Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellow
Position Type:Postdoctoral
Position Location:Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States [map] sort by distance
Subject Areas: Biology / Biochemistry, Biology, Genomic/Proteomic, Genomics, Immunology, Molecular, Molecular Genetics, Molecular/Cell Biology, Mouse Genetics
Appl Deadline: finished (2021/12/14, finished 2023/04/22, listed until 2022/10/20)
Position Description:    

*** this position has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***

The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a National Cancer Institute-designated Basic Cancer Research Center, where researchers seek and design new solutions to the complex problems of cancer. The Koch Institute’s highly collaborative teams of biologists, chemists, materials scientists, computer scientists, clinicians, engineers, and others pioneer innovative and cross-disciplinary strategies for detecting, treating, monitoring, and even preventing cancer. The Koch Institute shares MIT’s commitment to education and comprises, in addition to its distinguished faculty, a large cohort of postdoctoral researchers, MIT graduate students and undergraduates—the next generation of leading cancer investigators.

The Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellows Program 
 To realize opportunities for collaboration, MIT has established the Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellows Program: a high-impact, bilateral collaboration with India that has cancer research training as its cornerstone. The aim of the Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellows Program is to help train a new generation of cancer researchers in India whose careers and professional networks will be increasingly global. The broader mission is to build India’s position as an intellectual hub for oncology research from which significant advances are expected to emerge. This Fellows program offers two-year, full-time opportunities for postdoctoral scientists, engineers, and physicians to undertake cancer research at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working at the interfaces between biology and medicine and the diverse fields of engineering, computer science, and the physical and chemical sciences. Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellows have extensive opportunities for substantive engagement with the Koch Institute (KI) research community, the larger Boston-area research community, and other postdoctoral researchers at MIT. At the KI, Fellows are encouraged to: • Collaborate with other researchers within the KI’s intramural and extramural faculty labs and across MIT • Participate in a range of KI- and lab-sponsored programs, activities, and events • Attend regular lab meetings, weekly KI-sponsored research forums and seminars, project-specific research retreats, and the annual KI research retreat. At MIT, Fellows are part of a robust, dynamic academic community that includes more than 800 postdoctoral scholars, as well as related career, social, and support services. Beyond MIT, Fellows have opportunities to attend seminars sponsored by the Boston area’s many academic and clinical centers, and to take advantage of MIT’s relationships with the larger life-sciences, biomedical, and engineering communities nearby.

The Fellowships The Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellows Program is currently accepting applications for several two-year full-time positions. Candidates are expected to identify an important biomedical research question and to propose a related project that extends their research interests and abilities. The Fellowship is awarded with the explicit expectation that the Fellows will subsequently continue their career in India. Fellows are expected to have plans for continuing their research work in India following their fellowship at MIT; funding for this subsequent work must be secured separately. The Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellowship provides the following: • a yearly stipend consistent with the KI postdoctoral salary scale; • travel expenses for the Fellow and their KI faculty advisor to share their research with colleagues at peer institutions in India; • additional support to cover expenses, including health insurance and small items of equipment; • $40,000 USD per Fellow per year for research supplies.

Funding for the second year of the Fellowship requires formal approval of a progress report containing a summary of the first-year research carried out at MIT, a statement of support by the Fellow’s KI faculty advisor, and a statement of intent about subsequent research plans in India. The Fellowship is awarded with the additional expectation that the Fellows will travel to India once or twice per year during their Fellowship term to present their research to colleagues at peer institutions in India, and that during one of these trips their KI faculty advisor will join them. Funding for travel and related expenses covered by the Fellowship will require pre-approval by the KI administration.

Eligibility Criteria 1. Fellowships are open to postdoctoral scientists, engineers, and physicians passionate both to tackle India-centric oncology problems and to further India’s position as a cancer research hub. 2. The applicant must be either: a) an Indian national or b) a non-Indian national with intent to work on an Indian-centric cancer research problem and spend time conducting research in India. Please note that applicants must hold an appropriate visa for eligibility. Applicants on H1-B visas are not eligible. 3. The applicant should be about to submit his/her doctoral thesis OR have up to, but no more than, three years postdoctoral experience from the date of his/her PhD or MD. Time spent outside the research environment will be taken into consideration. 4. Applicants may have a background in any appropriate field of study (e.g., biology, medicine, chemistry, physics, or engineering) but must propose to address an important cancer research question. 5. Applicants should have the written approval of a KI faculty advisor to join their lab, documentation of which needs to be included with their application materials. 6. The proposed research should fall within the KI’s current research focus areas, as described below and on the Koch Institute’s web site.

Application Process Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The applicant should give careful thought to his/her choice of KI faculty sponsor(s) and include the faculty advisor’s letter of commitment with their materials. This document should state the KI faculty member’s confirmed willingness to host the applicant in their lab. The applicant should drive the identification of a research question and the development of the proposal, and refine the project with input from the KI faculty sponsor(s), who may be able to provide advice and support. Applications and all required documentation must be submitted electronically to MIT, via academicjobsonline.org. The application process requires: 1. Curriculum Vitae 2. Research proposal 3. Letter of support from current or previous academic advisor 4. Letter of commitment from KI faculty advisor 5. If currently held, proof of authorization to work in the U.S. Applicants who do not currently hold authorization to work in the US may apply after the fellowship is awarded.

Regarding the research proposal: The applicant’s statement will describe the intended research objective with particular focus on the two years to be spent at MIT. The proposed research should fall within the KI’s current research focus areas: nanotechnology-based cancer therapeutics; cancer detection and monitoring; metastasis; precision cancer medicine, including signaling and metabolic pathways and drug resistance; and cancer immunology. These research themes are more fully described on the Koch Institute’s web site. Research statements should be 2-3 pages, not counting references or large figures, and applicants should include a cover letter, as a personal statement to tie everything together. The research statement should resemble a grant application, with background, clear aims, and research plans, etc.

Applicants may not apply for more than one KI fellowship at any one time. Resubmissions are not permitted.

Review Process
 Application materials are reviewed by the Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellowship Committee, following which selected candidates will be contacted for an initial phone or video interview with KI representatives. After this initial screening interview process, the Committee will select final candidates for onsite interviews. These candidates may be invited to travel to MIT at the Program’s expense for a full day of interviews, including with the potential host lab(s). The Fellowship Committee will make the final selection of Fellows. Applicants will be notified in writing as to their success. Decisions will not be available by telephone. Reviewers typically assess: • applicant’s track record • importance of the research question • interdisciplinary training component (such as, will a biologist be gaining experience in technologies and/or approaches that are not typically used in biomedical research or will a physicist, for example, be conducting research in a biomedical context?) • applicant’s choice of appropriate research sponsor(s) • feasibility of the approach • applicant’s vision of how the Fellowship will contribute to his/her career development • applicant’s longer-term aspirations • impact the applicant seeks to make on a difficult cancer problem.

Application Contact Inquiries may be e-mailed to ki-msfellowship@mit.edu

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. MIT’s full policy on Nondiscrimination can be found here. Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check, including verifying any finding of misconduct (or pending investigation) from prior employers.


Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
And anything else requested in the position description.

Further Info:
ki.mit.edu
email address
 
77 Massachusetts Ave.
76-158
Cambridge MA 02139