Postdoctoral Researcher, Pluvinage Lab
About Arc Institute
The Arc Institute is a new scientific institution conducting curiosity-driven basic science and technology development to understand and treat complex human diseases. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Arc is an independent research organization founded on the belief that many important research programs will be enabled by new institutional models. Arc operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley.
While the prevailing university research model has yielded many tremendous successes, we believe in the importance of institutional experimentation as a way to make progress. These include:
- Funding: Arc fully funds Core Investigators’ (PIs’) research groups, liberating scientists from the typical constraints of project-based external grants.
- Technology: Biomedical research has become increasingly dependent on complex tooling. Arc Technology Centers develop, optimize, and deploy rapidly advancing experimental and computational technologies in collaboration with Core Investigators.
- Support: Arc aims to provide first-class support—operationally, financially, and scientifically—that will enable scientists to pursue long-term high risk, high reward research that can meaningfully advance progress in disease cures, including neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction.
- Culture: We believe that culture matters enormously in science and that excellence is difficult to sustain. We aim to create a culture that is focused on scientific curiosity, a deep commitment to truth, broad ambition, and selfless collaboration.
Arc has scaled to over 350 people to date. With $650M+ in committed funding and a state of the art new lab facility in Palo Alto, Arc will continue to grow quickly in the coming years.
About the position
We are seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in human immunology, neurobiology, or neuroimmunology to join the Pluvinage Lab at the Arc Institute. Our goal is to improve the lives of patients with neurological diseases by exploring undiagnosed autoimmunity in rare mystery cases and common neurodegenerative conditions alike.
The questions we ask:
- How do autoantibodies regulate cognition?
- What is the source, target, and mechanism of pathogenic autoantibodies in neurological disease?
- How can we eliminate pathogenic autoantibodies while leaving the rest of the immune system intact?
- How does comorbid autoimmunity contribute to cognitive decline in neurodegeneration?
- Are there protective autoantibodies that promote cognitive resilience in healthy brain aging?
The approaches we take: discovery-driven projects starting with human samples (cerebrospinal fluid, PBMCs, brain tissue) from curated cohorts of patients with neurological diseases, CRISPR screens, phage display, immune repertoire sequencing
Postdocs 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. Clinical residents or fellows interested in physician-scientist pathways are encouraged to apply.
About you
- You have a strong foundation in human immunology, neurobiology, or neuroimmunology and are eager to apply this expertise to translational questions in neurological disease.
- You are extremely curious and self-motivated.
- 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 adopt new techniques.
- You are excited by solving puzzles that have a translational impact and/or creating new therapeutic approaches.
In this position you will
- Conduct High-Impact Research: Design, execute, and analyze experiments, taking ownership of a research project within the lab's scientific focus, with guidance from the PI and increasing independence as you develop expertise
- Develop as a Future Scientific Leader: Publish first-author papers in high-impact journals, present your work at national and international conferences, and build a network of collaborators across the Arc Institute and beyond
- Foster Scientific Excellence: Mentor and train research associates, technicians, and students, engage in Arc-wide activities (seminars, symposia, journal clubs); contribute to a collaborative, inclusive research environment; keep rigorous experimental records and documentation; contribute to lab operations, including equipment maintenance and protocol development
Requirements
- Doctorate (MD, PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent) in immunology, neuroimmunology, neuroscience, genetics, or a related field
- Demonstrated expertise in human immunology or neurobiology, with a strong understanding of immune–nervous system interactions
- 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
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience with pooled genome-scale CRISPR screening
- Proficiency in single-cell immune repertoire sequencing
- Experience working with primary human samples (CSF, PBMCs, or tissue)
- Familiarity with computational analysis pipelines for high-dimensional immunological or single-cell data
- Track record of first-author publications in immunology, neuroscience, or related fields
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.