"Special Postdoctoral Fellow in Cell Surface Receptors, Integrin Agonists, and Organoid Biology"

Job Details

Join the Lab of Tim Springer
Tim Springer, a leader in integrin biology, invites aspiring scientists to join his lab to advance groundbreaking research at the intersection of integrin signaling, organoid development, and cell surface receptor structure and mechanobiology. A new focus is bioengineering new materials for organoids, with wide-reaching implications for regenerative medicine, stem cell biology, and therapeutic development. This role offers mentorship and unique opportunities to establish a strong scientific foundation for launching an independent research career.

About the Role:
As a Special Postdoctoral Fellow, you will:

• Pursue cutting-edge research in areas such as:
  • Stem Cells and organoids: Develop and apply novel ligands that bind to temperature-dependent gels for stem cell and organoid growth
  • Cryo-EM: Activation of integrins and TGF-β and ligand binding
  • Mechanobiology: Integrin force transduction in adhesion and TGF-β activation
  • Single Molecules: Utilize advanced techniques including FRET and magnetic tweezers to explore conformational change kinetics and force transmission in integrins and selectins
  • Innovative ReaLiSM: (Receptor and Ligand in Single Molecules) to study receptor-ligand binding dynamics
  • TGF-β Activation: Research localized activation at cell surfaces for new therapeutic targets
• Own and Develop Your Project: We encourage candidates to develop new research ideas, which they can carry forward to establish their own labs.

Key Techniques and Approaches:

• Organoid and stem cell systems
• Single-molecule imaging
• Cryo-EM
• FRET reporters using non-canonical amino acids
• Magnetic and laser tweezers
• Mechanobiology and therapeutic target discovery

Why Join Us?

• Mentorship from Tim Springer, renowned for his pioneering work in integrins and cell biology
• Work at the frontier of a rapidly expanding area bridging fundamental biophysics and translational biotech
• Independence and Growth: Develop projects that will empower your transition to an independent research career
• Collaborative environment at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital

Application Details:
To apply, please email the following to springer_jobs@crystal.harvard.edu with "Special Postdoctoral Fellow" in the subject line:

1. Cover letter (include a brief outline of your project interests)
2. CV
3. Three references

Salary: $78,000 annually
Appointment: 1-year initial term, renewable (multi-year funding)
Start: Summer-Fall 2026
Visa sponsorship: Available

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability.

Company

My lab studies receptor-ligand interactions and signal transmission across membranes. We use a wide range of structural, cell biological, and single molecule techniques to answer important questions relevant to immunology, hemostasis, mammalian biology, and human disease.

Our interests include:

• Integrins and how they communicate extracellular ligand binding to cytoskeleton assembly and force transduction
• cryoEM of integrin-ligand complexes (with Alan Brown)
• Single molecule studies of conformational change kinetics and force transmission (with TJ Ha)
• Transforming growth factor β and its localized activation at cell surfaces by integrins and proteases
• Stem cells and developmental pathways
• Nervous system development and microglia
• Tyrosine kinases and inside-out signals transmitted by them in transformed cancer cells
• Therapeutics development using deep biological insights into cell surface receptor conformational change

Company info

Website: http://timothyspringer.org/