Faculty Position in Cancer Immunology

Responsibilities

Mayo Clinic invites applications for an institutionally supported faculty position in Immunology at its Arizona campus. We seek an innovative and collaborative investigator to develop a cutting-edge research program in the field of Cancer Immunology. Candidates are required to have a PhD or equivalent degree in a relevant discipline, with a track record of success in extramural funding, publications, and collaborations with clinicians. Ideal candidates would be those with expertise in the area of tumor and immune cell interactions, tumor immune environment, molecular and cell biology of immune cells involved in cancer, immune variations and immune monitoring across cancer patients, and cancer immunotherapy. All areas related to immune-oncology are also encouraged to apply. Preferred candidates will have innovative ideas that synergize with current strengths in the Department of Immunology and desire to translate their work to the clinic. The candidate is expected to establish an internationally recognized research program while fostering strong collaborations with leading basic scientists, clinician investigators and clinician specialists across Mayo Clinic’s integrated research and clinical enterprise.

Mayo Clinic
With an 83,000-person workforce, Mayo Clinic cares for more than 1.4 million people each year with serious or complex illnesses from all 50 U.S. states and 135 countries. Mayo Clinic is the largest not-for-profit, multidisciplinary academic medical center in the world with over 4,000 physicians and scientists in an integrated multi-campus system spanning the globe. The unified mission at Mayo Clinic is to provide the best patient care, backed by our expertise and innovation in education, research and practice, to bring hope and healing in times of need. We embrace collegial relationships among three campuses (Arizona, Florida and Minnesota) allowing for best practices and innovation to help solve the most serious complex medical challenges-one patient at a time.

We support a vibrant and diverse research enterprise, with programs in basic, translational, clinical, population, and data sciences. In 2025, the Mayo Clinic received $782 million in extramural research awards; the institution provided additional $539 million of intermural support to promote research. Laboratories and shared resource facilities are state-of-the-art, including those for biomolecular analysis, molecular development, data analytics, specimen processing, and structural testing and imaging. Mayo Clinic supports innovation and has a wealth of resources available – including an integrated health record and collaboration with top clinical specialists. The highly competitive compensation package includes substantial long-term institutional and departmental support for salary, personnel, equipment, and travel as well as a competitive startup package all designed to ensure immediate and continued success. Additional benefits for faculty at Mayo Clinic include intramural funding opportunities for research, innovation and collaboration.

The Department of Immunology
The Department of Immunology at Mayo Clinic, the oldest free-standing immunology department in the country, is the academic home for basic and translational scientists studying the immune system in health and disease. As scientists, department members have a common understanding and passion for advancing knowledge of fundamental mechanisms that cause and regulate inflammation and immunity. The Department of Immunology faculty are located at three campuses across the Mayo Clinic enterprise. Immunology laboratories are highly interactive and collaborative between campuses in Rochester (MN), Jacksonville (FL), and Phoenix/Scottsdale (AZ). 

Faculty members in the Department of Immunology study a wide spectrum of diseases interrelated by the molecular, cellular, and genetic regulatory mechanisms that dictate the immune responses associated with them. The Department nurtures a highly interactive approach to basic science that creates new knowledge and fosters the discovery of new treatments and diagnostic tests for patients with disease-specific problems.

Research in the Department of Immunology is intertwined with the education and training of the next generation of researchers. Faculty members' laboratories serve as focal points for training graduate students seeking Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. degrees through the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (MCGSBS). Department of Immunology faculty members teach courses in MCGSBS and Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. They also mentor postdoctoral research fellows and clinical trainees conducting research. Each summer, the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences' Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship engages undergraduates in various research experiences, including in the Department of Immunology.

Research Environment Related to Cancer Immunology
Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCCCC) offer a highly collaborative and integrated academic medical center environment with expanding strengths in basic and clinical immunology, computational biology, AI-driven discovery, cell therapy, cancer immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, and translational science. Faculty benefit from:

• Collaborative and supportive interactions with basic, translational, and clinical immunology faculty
• Established CAR-T and immune therapy programs with active clinical translation
• State-of-the-art genome engineering and cell manufacturing infrastructure
• Existing and emerging cell therapy platforms, enabling novel approaches to immune cell engineering, stem cell modification, and in vivo gene editing strategies
• Access to institutional core facilities including genomics, single-cell sequencing, proteomics, bioinformatics, and advanced imaging
• A very strong AI-driven discovery program with exceptional “on prem” and cloud-based computational resources
• Mayo Clinic Platform which holds the fully digitized longitudinal patient records from 15M Mayo Clinic patients and 54M patients with collaborating healthcare institutions from across the nation and the globe
• A strong focus on translating first-in-human trials to bring new treatments to patients
• Dedicated institutional support for regulatory strategy, clinical trial development, and commercialization pathway
• A growing biotechnology corridor that attracts partner companies to accelerate translation of discoveries

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCCCC) 
With 440 members and >1500 aligned cancer physicians working in six Cancer Research Programs and 15 Disease Groups, MCCCC is a global leader and represents the pinnacle of cancer care, research and education and training. Every year, across its three enterprise sites (Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida), MCCCC physicians provide expert cancer diagnosis and treatment to more than 150,000 unique patients from across the nation and the globe.

The MCCCC Misson: To inspire hope and promote health and healing through integrated research, clinical practice, and education, centered around our primary value: the needs of the patient come first.

The MCCCC Vision: To be a global cancer authority: transforming cancer research and practice to assure that our discoveries, knowledge, and expertise are accessible to all, within and beyond our walls, at anyplace and anytime.

MCCCC Goals:

1. To cure cancers through translation of innovative transdisciplinary science to new means of prevention, early detection, interception, intervention, and unparalleled care delivery. 
2. To transform cancer research and practice using category of one data platforms, digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and intelligent automation, creating new models for community and patient engagement, and the conduct of research, clinical trials and patient-centered care delivery in clinical, home, and community settings. 
3. To use Mayo Clinic Platform to engage patients and communities in our catchment areas and across the nation and the world in cancer research and distributed and decentralized clinical trials.
4. To educate, train, and mentor the next generation of cancer physicians, scientists, and leaders.

Over the past year, MCCCC has continued to achieve exceptional performance metrics, with high levels of cancer research funding (reporting $61.2M in annual peer-reviewed funding ($41.1M from NCI) and $98.7M in industry and non-peer reviewed funding). The Center currently has over 80 multi-investigator programmatic grants including 6 NCI Specialized Programs of Research Emphasis (SPORES): Myeloma, Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer, Liver/Hepatobiliary Cancers, Prostate Cancer, and Sarcoma. In 2025, clinical trial accrual has remained robust, reporting the Center’s highest accrual to therapeutic interventional trials: 2,624 (12% of newly registered cases), with 6,588 interventional accruals (30% of newly registered patients) and 10,367 non-interventional accruals. In 2025, MCCCC members published an exceptional number (1776) of peer-reviewed academic works, 24% of which were published in high impact journals.

Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital city of Arizona and is located in the central region of the state; Scottsdale is adjacent to Phoenix. Their metropolitan area boasts almost 5 million residents in 25 cities and towns. People may know it for its year-round sun, desert beauty, and world-class resorts and golf, but as the fifth-largest city in the U.S., it also offers sophisticated urban capes, southwest culture and lots of outdoor adventure.  The "Valley of the Sun" as Phoenicians refer to it, is surrounded by mountain parks—in fact, South Mountain Park and Preserve is the largest municipal park in the U.S.—so it's easy to get out and enjoy the flora, fauna and some incredible views (and sunsets). And, although Phoenix is in the Sonoran Desert, there are six lakes in close proximity where water lovers can kayak, paddleboard, Jetski, waterski, boat, fish or just lounge on the shore. Over the next few years, Mayo Clinic is making significant investments in both the physical and technological future of health care, through doubling the size of the Mayo Clinic campus in Phoenix, inclusive of practice, education, and research activities. 

Qualifications


Credentials of a successful candidate will include a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., Sc.D., or equivalent) with background in a relevant science and/or engineering field (e.g. immunology, pathology, cell biology, molecular biology, biomedical engineering). We especially seek investigators whose research programs directly and innovatively impact the field of cancer immunology.
The ideal candidate will have a history of NIH-equivalent extramural funding and strong promise to continuously compete well for meritorious, competitive extramural funding. Junior investigators with strong track record of funding and publications with clear vision to develop their research program in cancer immunology are also encouraged to apply. Candidates should exhibit evidence of leadership skills and multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations with both scientists and clinicians.
Applications should include a cover letter, CV with bibliography, and a statement of research interests.


Site Description


Just as our reputation has spread beyond our Minnesota roots, so have our locations. Today, our employees are located at our three major campuses in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, Jacksonville, Florida, Rochester, Minnesota, and at Mayo Clinic Health System campuses throughout Midwestern communities, and at our international locations. Each Mayo Clinic location is a special place where our employees thrive in both their work and personal lives. Learn more about what each unique Mayo Clinic campus has to offer, and where your best fit is. 


Equal Opportunity


All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status or disability status. Learn more about the "EOE is the Law".  Mayo Clinic participates in E-Verify and may provide the Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.