Location
University of Pennsylvania - School of Veterinary Medicine
Open Date
Oct 23, 2026
Description
The Mason Lab in the Department of Pathobiology, at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is
recruiting Postdoctoral Scholars to join our team within the Comparative Immunotherapy Program. Our work focuses on developing comparative immunotherapeutic approaches to study correlative biomarkers of immune response in canine patients with spontaneous disease processes including cancer and autoimmunity. Our comparative approach leverages naturally occurring diseases in client owned, pet dogs to inform human and veterinary medicine. Our lab has a particular interest in engineered cell-based therapeutics (e.g. CAR-T, TIL therapeutics), checkpoint inhibitors and bi-specific T cell engagers. In collaboration with partner labs at the University of Pennsylvania, we are working to identify biomarkers of immune response within canine patient populations, including phenotypic and functional characteristics of various immune cell populations and their interactions with immune suppressive and stromal elements within the tumor microenvironment, serum metabolites and gut microbiome.
Some of the techniques our group applies are:
- Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, ELISpot, cytotoxicity assays
- CRISPR/Cas9 editing and gene transfer technologies (lentiviral, retroviral, electroporation)
- Advanced sequencing technologies, at single cell and bulk levels.
- Seahorse flux assays, LC/MS analysis
- Clinical in vivo assessments (client owned animals with spontaneous disease processes)
We aim to advance:
- novel immunotherapeutics for cancer and autoimmunity both in companion animal and human species
- baseline markers of prognosis for patient stratification to immunotherapeutic clinical trials
- novel technologies applied to veterinary species to address outstanding biological questions centered on immune response and immunological fitness
Disease areas of focus include, but are not limited to B cell lymphoma, osteosarcoma, histiocytic sarcoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and auto-immunity including pemphigus and hemolytic anemia.
The training/mentorship opportunities are in the following areas (among others):
- Developing engineered autologous and allogeneic cell-based therapies for assessment in canine patients with cancer or autoimmunity.
- Developing novel biologics centered on bi-specific T cell engagers and identifying correlative biomarkers of response in canine patients
- Investigate mechanisms of resistance to checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors
- Studying cancer-immune cell interactions within the primary and metastatic tumor microenvironment using functional biology approaches & advanced in-situ sequencing/data analytics.
Prospective trainees can expect the following: Mentorship, Freedom, Resources, Exciting Science, & Fun.
Further details can be found here: Mason Lab
Qualifications
(1) A proven record of publication (this can include bioRxiv and/or arXiv papers, or about to publish),
(2) Skills in the following areas are required: molecular biology, cell culture, and animal work, computational skills in one or more of the following areas are desirable but not required: next generation sequencing data analysis, statistics, and machine learning.
Application Instructions
Start date and term are negotiable.
Candidates should have a Ph.D. and a demonstrated interest in comparative immunology and immunobiology
Applicants are required to submit the following materials through Interfolio:
- CV
- Cover letter
- A list of 3 referees
Questions or follow up inquiries can be emailed to Dr. Mason at nmason@vet.upenn.edu
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
