Postdoctoral Researcher and Project Researcher Positions in Bioengineering, Immunology, Synthetic Biology, and Single-Cell Technologies at the University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo in Japan

The Di Carlo Lab at The University of Tokyo is recruiting for immediate openings in Tokyo tied to a Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Moonshot Project on Cellular Avatars. The post highlights two paid research opportunities: a postdoctoral researcher / project researcher role and a project academic specialist role. The work sits at the intersection of bioengineering, immunology, cell therapy, synthetic biology, single-cell technologies, microfluidics, and flow cytometry.

The research program focuses on Nanovial-based functional screening and sorting of Avatar cells. The team is building lab-on-a-particle workflows for single-cell secretion capture, remote-control stimulation, cell–cell interaction assays, fluorescence-based detection, FACS sorting, and downstream molecular or functional analysis. The long-term goal is to create a high-throughput platform for evaluating engineered cells based on functional responses and recovering high-performing cells for further study.

Postdoctoral / Project Researcher role: applicants should hold a Ph.D. in a relevant field such as bioengineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology, synthetic biology, or biophysics. Strong experimental skills in cell-based assays are required, along with the ability to design, troubleshoot, and interpret quantitative biological experiments. Preferred experience includes flow cytometry, FACS, high-throughput screening, single-cell analysis, mammalian cell engineering, immune cells, secretion assays, microfluidics, Nanovials, transcriptomics, and computational analysis in Python, R, FlowJo, or Seurat.

Project Academic Specialist role: applicants should have at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field and hands-on mammalian cell culture experience. The role emphasizes careful experimental execution, record keeping, organization, teamwork, and willingness to learn Nanovial workflows, flow cytometry, and cell sorting preparation. Preferred experience includes fluorescence staining, antibody-based assays, ELISA/cytokine detection, microscopy QC, engineered cells, FACS sample preparation, and data analysis tools.

Funding and conditions: both positions are salaried University of Tokyo appointments. The Project Researcher salary starts at JPY 450,000/month and the Project Academic Specialist salary starts at JPY 300,000/month, both inclusive of applicable performance/result-based allowances, plus commuting allowance if eligible. Successful candidates are enrolled in MEXT mutual aid insurance and employment insurance. The appointment runs until March 31, 2027 and may be renewed annually up to March 31, 2029, subject to budget and performance.

Application deadline: all documents must arrive by 2026-07-15. Required materials include the University of Tokyo standard resume format, a cover letter, and for the researcher role a summary of main research activities and publication list. Applications are submitted by email to [email protected].