AcademicJobsOnline.org

Assistant Professor

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Cambridge, MA

The Ragon Institute, together with the Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Cambridge, MA is seeking outstanding scientists for tenured or tenure-track faculty positions to start July 1, 2021 or on a mutually agreed date thereafter. The Institute is located at the heart of the MGH, MIT and Harvard communities in Kendall Square with state-of-the-art research facilities. The Ragon Institute was officially established in February 2009 as a joint institute involving faculty from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, and Harvard University.  The MIT Department of Biological Engineering at MIT has a long established presence as a leader in the field especially in the areas of immune engineering and infectious diseases.

The missions of the Ragon Institute and MIT BE are highly complementary: The Ragon Institute’s ultimate goal is to harness the immune system to prevent and cure human diseases. MIT BE aims to lead the discipline of biological engineering, fusing engineering with modern molecular-to-’omic biology to measure, model, manipulate, and make biological systems for powerful new biological technologies. Candidates for this joint position may have research interests broadly at the interface of these two missions relating to immunology, immunotherapy, and infectious disease. Examples of particular areas of interest for joint appointment at the Ragon Institute and MIT BE include: systems biology, computational modeling, or machine learning approaches to studying host-pathogen interactions or the immune system; imaging technologies for macro- to nano-scale structural biology; engineering approaches toward the understanding or therapeutic modulation of innate or adaptive immunity. 

The search is for candidate(s) to be hired at the assistant professor level; however, under special circumstances, a senior faculty appointment with tenure is possible, commensurate with experience Applicants must have a Ph.D. and/or M.D. or equivalent degree in Biology and related fields (Biochemistry, Microbiology, etc.), Computer Science, or Engineering (Biological, Mechanical, Chemical, etc.) by the start of employment, and have a track record of exceptional achievement in basic or translational research and the potential to develop an outstanding independent research program that supports the Institute’s ultimate goal of harnessing the immune system to prevent and cure human diseases. 

MIT faculty duties include teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels, research, and supervision of student research.  The successful candidate will be provided with a generous start-up package to complement outstanding laboratory and office space, as well as access to state-of-the-art core facilities including advanced flow cytometry, microscopy, BSL-3 facilities and an extensive clinical specimen repository. The successful candidate will be expected to build and maintain an internationally recognized, extramurally funded research program complemented by substantial support from Institute funds. The candidate should possess the ability to work collaboratively with other scientists, in addition to the scholarly qualities required to mentor doctoral students from graduate programs at MIT. 

Interested candidates should submit application materials electronically at https://school-of-engineering-faculty-search.mit.edu/mit-ragon. Each application must include: a curriculum vitae; the names and addresses of three or more references; a strategic statement of research interests; and a statement of teaching interests. In addition, candidates should provide a statement regarding their views on diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including past and current contributions as well as their vision and plans for the future in these areas. It is the responsibility of the candidate to arrange for reference letters to be uploaded at  https://faculty-searches.mit.edu/letters/. Please address questions to the search committee chair, Dr. Darrell Irvine (djirvine@mit.edu). Responses received by December 2020 will be given priority.

With MIT’s strong commitment to diversity in engineering and science education and research, we especially encourage those who will contribute to our diversity and outreach efforts to apply.

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, skin color, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. MIT’s  full policy on Nondiscrimination can be found at https://policies.mit.edu/policies-procedures/90-relations-and-responsibilities-within-mit-community/92-nondiscrimination.