About the job

Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow – Spatial Biology & AI Imaging (HMS + LifeCanvas Technologies)

Location: Boston/Cambridge, MA (In-Person, Hybrid Academic-Industry Setting)

Summary

LifeCanvas Technologies, in collaboration with the Sorger Lab and Harvard Medical School, is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join a two-year project focused on 3D tissue imaging, spatial biology, and AI-powered analysis.

What You Will Be Doing

LifeCanvas Technologies, in partnership with the Sorger Group and the Harvard Tissue Atlas Project in Harvard Medical School (HMS), is seeking a highly motivated and versatile postdoctoral fellow for a 2-year applied research position supported by the MLSC Bits to Bytes Research Award.

This unique opportunity places you at the intersection of industry and academia, where you will advance high-resolution 3D tissue imaging, spatial biology, and AI-driven data analysis in human tumor samples. You will contribute to development of cutting-edge image analysis algorithms (including machine learning/AI methods) and pipelines on large-scale datasets on clinically-relevant tissue samples.

This is an in-person position where you’ll be embedded in a hybrid environment between LifeCanvas (Cambridge, MA) and the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology at HMS (Boston, MA), working on real-world challenges and building tools that translate into both scientific insight and practical applications. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to collaborative research while receiving mentorship from leaders in both biotech startup and academic spaces.

The ideal candidate is passionate about spatial biology, eager to work across disciplines, and excited to translate imaging and data innovations into biological and therapeutic discoveries.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop AI/ML pipelines and image analysis workflows for large-scale clinical 3D tissue datasets generated with LifeCanvas platforms.
• Collaborate with academic, industry, and clinical teams to design and execute joint projects.
• Translate imaging findings into biologically and clinically relevant discoveries, including novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
• Present work at conferences, contribute to publications, and help shape the development of new products and applications.
• Serve as a scientific bridge between academic research and industry innovation.

Our Ideal Candidate Will Have

• PhD in computer science, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, bioinformatics, or a related quantitative field.
• Strong experience in machine learning, image analysis, and/or computational biology.
• Proficiency in Python and libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-image, or similar
• A solid record of scientific contributions (e.g., publications, software tools, patents).
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced startup and academic environment while also thriving in interdisciplinary, collaborative settings.
• Strong creative problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with tissue imaging (e.g., light sheet, confocal, or other high-resolution microscopy) or spatial omics techniques is a plus.

Characteristics We Are Looking For

• Mission-focused, with a passion for translational research and technology development.
• Curious, proactive, and adaptable, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Team-oriented and communicative, with the ability to collaborate across academic and industry partners.
• Committed to scientific rigor, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced environments and managing multiple priorities.