"Postdoctoral position in Cancer Biology / HPV Virology / Translational therapeutics"

Location: University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
Open Date: Feb 25, 2026
Deadline: Mar 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

A postdoctoral position is available to work under the mentorship of Dr. Devraj Basu at the interfaces among cancer biology, immunology, bioinformatics, and molecular epidemiology for HPV-related head and neck cancer. An interdisciplinary mentorship team for these positions includes multiple basic, translational, and clinical researchers who comprise a Translational Center of Excellence for HPV+ Head and Neck Cancer within the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

https://www.pennmedicine.org/physicians-hub/physician-article/hpv-opscc-transitional-center-of-excellence-debuts-at-penn-ent

https://www.pennmedicine.org/research/translational-centers-of-excellence

Trainees will have opportunities to lead projects designed to have major clinical impact on the following topics:

(1) The role of heterogeneity in HPV oncoprotein expression within and among HPV+ oropharyngeal cancers in determining their therapy responses.

(2) Developing novel targeted therapeutics that promote direct and immune-mediated clearance of HPV+ cancers

(3) Developing prognostic and predictive molecular biomarkers for HPV-related cancer from comparative multi-omic analyses

Qualifications
Advanced training in cancer biology is essential. Strong foundations in tumor virology, immunology, cellular metabolism, stem cell biology, data science and/or bioinformatics are also highly desirable. Positions will be supported by NIH and private foundation funding as well as philanthropic support.

Application Instructions
Send CV and cover letter detailing reasons for interest in this specific position through Interfolio. Names and contact information for 2 professional references are required. Also a letter of recommendation from a recent direct supervisor is strongly encouraged.