Join the HSCRB Faculty

The Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Professor tenure-track position. We welcome applicants in new areas where we seek to grow (e.g., advanced computation, AI, chemical biology, brain-body connection, integrated physiology, extreme biology) as well as in fields represented by our current labs (e.g., stem cell biology, developmental and aging biology, neurobiology, immunology, gene regulation).

Please read below for more information on our department, the position, and timeline. Applications close October 18th.

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A message from HSCRB's chair

Photo of Amy Wagers outside the Sherman-Fairchild building at Harvard, 2018 — Amy Wagers, Ph.D., Forst Family Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology

Dear faculty candidates,

Thank you for your interest in Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB)! Established in 2007, HSCRB’s mission is to improve human health by bridging fundamental research, medical translation, and life science entrepreneurship. Research in HSCRB spans biology at the level of molecules, cells, tissues, organs and organisms, from the moment of conception through aging, and in both normal physiology and disease. We use many different animal models, including zebrafish, mice, and axolotl, as well as human pluripotent stem cells and next-generation human organoids that allow the study of otherwise inaccessible aspects of human development and pathophysiology. We also design and deploy novel technologies to intentionally control cell fate in development and during regeneration and to interrogate these processes across time and space. The problems we work on are of fundamental importance to society, and we are committed to advancing scientific discovery and transforming human health through novel, curiosity-driven investigation and technological innovation, and by training the next generation of researchers, teachers and entrepreneurs to explore new frontiers in biology and medicine.

HSCRB is a unique academic department founded as a joint endeavor between Harvard Medical School, based in the Longwood Medical Area, and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, based on the university’s main campus. Our 21 faculty members (consisting of 14 tenured faculty and 7 tenure-track faculty) host laboratories on both campuses, as well as within some of the nation’s top hospitals, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Our strong relationships with both academic and industry leaders and our prime location within Boston’s burgeoning biomedical ecosystem offer researchers unrivaled opportunities to pursue innovative approaches and meaningful collaborations across different disciplines and domains, with the goal of translating discoveries into solutions.

Teaching and mentoring are also central to HSCRB’s mission, and our unique undergraduate and graduate curricula are both a priority and a point of pride within the department. HSCRB’s Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology (HDRB) concentration for undergraduates is one of the most rigorous concentrations (majors) at the university, placing a heavy emphasis on hands-on research. At the graduate level, HSCRB faculty lead the Developmental and Regenerative Biology (DRB) track of the HMS-based PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). DRB specifically recruits and supports students with an interest in stem cells, regeneration and developmental biology through innovative coursework and scientific and social events. In addition, four years ago, HSCRB launched a new educational collaboration with Harvard Business School – a two-year joint MS/MBA degree program in Biotechnology: Life Sciences. This one-of-its-kind program is aimed at training a diverse and socially responsible cadre of leaders prepared to confront the broadest and most consequential issues at the interface of biology and society. All HSCRB faculty participate in the department’s distinctive teaching efforts, including designing and leading at least one original course within these curricular foci. Importantly, each of HSCRB’s academic programs benefits from a dedicated team of education experts and advisors, who work directly with faculty and students to offer guidance and pedagogical support to ensure that we offer the best possible training experiences for all our students.

In terms of mentoring, HSCRB prioritizes clear, constructive feedback and advising at all levels of training. Tenure-track faculty benefit from a formal departmental mentoring program, as well as informal peer-mentor networks, and extensive opportunities to participate in school and university-level training workshops and career development events. HSCRB faculty also support robust advising and mentoring programs for trainees and staff, including trainee-focused departmental “work-in-progress” seminars and flash talks, intradepartmental journal clubs, external seminar series, community-centered town halls, and career advancement workshops.

In conclusion, all of us in HSCRB are deeply committed to scientific and intellectual exploration in service to current and future generations. We believe that our open-minded pursuit of curiosity-driven discoveries that engage a diversity of disciplines, backgrounds, and perspectives is essential to our scientific success. We offer a welcoming and supportive research and teaching environment, that values inclusion, mentorship and personal growth along with discovery and innovation. We invite applicants with a wide range of experiences and interests to join our faculty and will personally meet with every candidate invited to interview to orient them to HSCRB and help them prepare to get the most from their visit.

Thank you again for your interest. We look forward to reviewing your applications!

Warmly,
Amy Wagers
HSCRB Chair

Search timeline

October 18: Application deadline.

October 25: Recommendation letter deadline (Link will be sent to recommenders after candidates have completed their application submission).

Late October to late November: The search committee will reach out to candidates to schedule Zoom interviews for further discussion.

Late November to mid December: The search committee will reach out to candidates with requests for an in-person interview.

January and February 2025: In-person interviews consisting of a seminar, chalk talk, meetings with faculty and trainees and tours of the department.

Meet the junior faculty

My lab looks to understand how cells acquire and reverse epigenetic changes and how these changes lead to disease. To do this, we are developing new approaches for measuring gene regulation dynamics at single-cell resolution.

My lab is interested in studying how tissues are built using new tools we are developing. We focus on spatial genomics, which involves looking at molecules like RNA and DNA inside cells, to understand the spatial organization of genes and their interactions within cells, tissues, and organs.

My lab is focused on the exploration and discovery of how biopolymers like RNA and glycans work together to control cellular processes in the context of human disease.

My lab addresses questions at the intersection of immunology and regenerative biology, including the role of immune cells in tissue building and rebuilding in the context of injury, infection, and cancer.

My lab studies the uterus to advance reproductive health and address the longstanding unmet needs of hundreds of millions of patients around the world with infertility, endometriosis, adenomyosis, endometrial cancers, and abnormal uterine bleeding.

My lab is focused on understanding the genetic forces that dictate the pacing of postnatal mammalian development. We are particularly interested in the role of retrotransposons in tissue homeostasis and in aging. Ultimately, we hope to use our insights from these genetic elements to create new medicines to target and treat age-associated disease.

My lab is exploring the basic biology of limb regeneration in salamanders with the hope that understanding how this process occurs in animals will provide information critical for designing efforts to stimulate regeneration in humans.

Our scientific interests

Our department has broad interests ranging from gene therapy to limb regeneration to computational tool development. Current topics of HSCRB labs include:

We welcome applicants pursuing research in areas represented by our current laboratories (e.g., stem cell biology, developmental and aging biology, neurobiology, immunology, gene regulation) as well as new areas in which we are looking to grow (e.g., advanced computation, artificial intelligence, chemical biology, brain-body connection, integrated physiology, extreme biology).

FAQ

Regarding life at HSCRB and Harvard

What is the difference between HSCRB and HSCI?

What is the difference between HSCRB (Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology) and HSCI (Harvard Stem Cell Institute)?

HSCRB is an academic department at Harvard University, akin to other academic departments. The HSCI is a distinct entity; a consortium of labs across Harvard that includes HSCRB labs as well as others working on questions relating to human disease and stem cell biology.

I hear it’s virtually impossible to get tenure at Harvard, is that true?

I hear it’s virtually impossible to get tenure at Harvard, is that true?

This used to be true – Harvard did not have a formal tenure-track system until 2005. Since many people trained at Harvard before this change was made, this perception has persisted, though according to a recent review of the Harvard tenure process, 73 percent of tenure-track faculty within the Division of Science who went through the tenure review process were granted tenure between academic year 2009-2010 through 2019-2020.

Do you provide mentoring for your junior faculty?

Do you provide mentoring for your junior faculty?

HSCRB is committed to providing mentoring to ensure that tenure-track faculty receive timely advice and support required to build their new research programs, to realize the full potential of their scientific goals, and to navigate their academic progression. The formal aspects of our faculty mentoring program include pairing a designated senior faculty mentor with each junior faculty with the expectation that the two will meet on a regular basis to discuss any topic and to read and offer feedback on drafts of grant applications, manuscripts, etc. One of these meetings each year is dedicated to providing specific career feedback and advice. The Chair of the department is also strongly committed to mentoring junior faculty, and they meet with each tenure-track faculty member at least bimonthly to discuss their progress and address any obstacles. Tenure-track faculty also receive support and mentorship specifically aimed at their teaching efforts through a peer observation and support program involving the HSCRB department’s education team and faculty. Additional guidance for teaching is also available through Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.

Each tenure-track faculty member’s overall progress in teaching, research and scholarship is formally reviewed biannually by a committee composed of four-to-five senior faculty including their designated senior faculty mentor. Written feedback from this review is provided to the tenure-track faculty member and used to frame a subsequent “career conference” with their senior mentors.

What are the teaching expectations?

What are the teaching expectations?

HSCRB faculty are expected to teach one course per year, beginning after their first year. For many new faculty, it can be their first experience leading a course. The department has a dedicated education team that provides extensive support to help our faculty learn to teach effectively. One member of the education team works closely with each new faculty member to help them build a new course, participate in an existing course, or a combination of those, and understand the latest research in educational practices. We encourage applicants to use their teaching statement to outline any teaching experience they have but also to articulate how they envision themselves as an educator and how they will work towards fulfilling HSCRB’s teaching mission.

Courses currently taught by the faculty in the department are available at my.harvard.edu (search SCRB). Most of the courses taught by our faculty are 100- and 200-level courses. In addition, SCRB 10 and SCRB 50 serve as the gateway courses for students interested in the department’s concentration (the Harvard term for major), Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology.

How do HSCRB faculty recruit graduate students?

How do HSCRB faculty recruit graduate students?

All HSCRB faculty are members of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate program (BBS). HSCRB runs a track within the BBS program called Developmental and Regenerative Biology (DRB) although HSCRB faculty also take BBS students who are not in the DRB track. HSCRB faculty also take graduate students from many other programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences alliance, including but not limited to the Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) program; the Program in Neuroscience (PiN); the Immunology and Virology programs; the Chemistry and Chemical Biology program; the Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology (SSQB) program.

How similar are tenure-track faculty positions in different departments and schools?

How similar are tenure-track faculty positions in different departments and schools at Harvard? Can I extrapolate what I’ve heard about another Harvard position to HSCRB?

Harvard is a large academic ecosystem and different tenure-track positions within Harvard and its affiliates have different levels of salary support from the institution, teaching expectations, and even different tenure clocks.

In HSCRB, newly appointed faculty receive full salary support from Harvard, separate from their laboratory “start up” funds, for two years. Starting in the third year of their appointment, HSCRB faculty receive significant salary support from Harvard in recognition of their commitment to the teaching mission described above, but are expected to fund a portion (at least 25%) of their 12-month salary from grants.

HSCRB appointment and promotion reviews follow the FAS schedule and policies, as outlined here.

Regarding the application

I applied for another position at Harvard. Will you see my application?

I applied for a position in another department or school at Harvard. Will you see my application?

No! Harvard utilizes a platform called Academic Recruiting Information eSystem (ARIeS) for all academic hiring. For confidentiality reasons, we can only see applications from candidates who have directly applied to our search within ARIeS. Please submit a separate application for this position. You can use ARIeS to explore all open positions at Harvard as well as track the status of your application(s).

I don’t work on stem cells, should I apply?

I don’t work on stem cells, should I apply?

The department’s interests are broader than the name suggests! Please see the current research foci of the department to get a sense of the kind of work we are currently doing. If you are unsure whether your research might be a good fit, please contact Ya-Chieh Hsu (email below).

Do you only hire candidates who have K99s or other career development grants?

Do you only hire candidates who publish their postdoc work in Cell/Nature/Science?

Do you only hire candidates who publish their postdoc work in Cell/Nature/Science?

No, we are looking for people with a highly creative vision for their future lab and evidence that they will be able to execute that vision. Great science is published in many journals and we do our own evaluation of the impact of the science. We actually do read your papers!

My postdoc work is not published yet, should I apply?

My postdoc work is not published yet, should I apply?

Most candidates we considered in the past have typically completed at least one major project during their most recent training (e.g. postdoc), whether published, accepted, or posted on bioRxiv. Work does not need to be peer reviewed for us to see its value and for it to reflect a candidate’s tremendous potential. We include preprinted work (e.g. posted on bioRxiv) in our evaluation. If for some reason you are unable to post a preprint but have a manuscript submitted or ready to be submitted, we recommend that you apply and include the manuscript with your application. We also consider the unpublished work that you present confidentially in your research statement if your research is evolving in new directions beyond your published work. Many faculty in our department have successfully pursued research directions in their labs that are quite different from the work they did in their postdoc.

I have already started a lab elsewhere but I am interested in moving, should I apply?

Required application materials

All applications and supporting materials should be submitted by October 18, 2024. Submitted materials must include the names and contact information of 3-5 referees. Letters of recommendation will be requested from referees via a system-generated email once the candidate’s application is complete and submitted, and all recommendation letters must be received no later than October 25, 2024. Candidates are strongly encouraged to communicate in advance with their letter writers to ensure timely submission of their letters. Please note that Harvard has additional open faculty searches. Candidates may apply to any or all open positions but must submit a separate application for each.

Cover letter
Curriculum Vitae
Research statement (3 pages, single spaced. Figures are included in the page limit but references can be on a separate page). The research statement should outline the candidate’s long-term vision for research in their future laboratory, with an emphasis on visionary projects that have potential for substantial impact, and summarize the candidate’s prior work as evidence for their potential to execute this research.
Statement of teaching and mentorship (1-2 pages, single spaced). The teaching portion of the statement should describe the candidate’s teaching philosophy and practices as well as their approach to creating a learning environment in which students are encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas. All faculty in HSCRB are expected to teach at least one full-semester course, and new faculty generally have the option to design a new course aligned with their interests and with the assistance of HSCRB’s education team. Existing HSCRB courses can be viewed at my.harvard.edu (search: SCRB and look at 100 and 200-level classes). The mentorship portion of the statement should include the candidate’s mentoring experience and ideas for fostering a laboratory environment where everyone can thrive.
Service statement (1 page, single spaced). Provide examples of activities or initiatives the candidate has led, catalyzed, or participated in to foster collaboration and idea exchange, promote scientific outreach, or create a supportive environment within their lab, department, program, institution, or the broader community.
Candidates for a tenure-track position must also submit names and contact information of 3-5 referees, who will be asked via a system-generated email to upload a letter of recommendation once the candidate’s application has been submitted. Three letters of recommendation are required, and the application is considered complete only when at least three letters have been received. At least one letter must come from someone who has not served as the candidate’s undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral advisor. Recommendation letters are due October 25.

Apply now

Still have questions?

For administrative or submission-related questions, please address your email to Wendy Rose (wendy_rose@fas.harvard.edu), Assistant Director for Academic and Faculty Affairs.

For search-related questions, please address your email to Ya-Chieh Hsu (HSCRB_search@fas.harvard.edu), Professor and Search Committee Chair.