About Us

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is radically changing the way cancer research is done. Founded in 2016 through a $250 million gift from Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker, the San Francisco-based nonprofit is an unprecedented collaboration between the country’s leading immunotherapy researchers and cancer centers, including Stanford Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, the Gladstone Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. PICI also supports top researchers at other cancer research institutions, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Institute for Systems Biology and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

By forging alliances with academic, industry and nonprofit partners, PICI makes big bets on bold research to fulfill its mission: to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases.

Help us create a world that doesn’t fear cancer. Join us. www.parkerici.org

Overview of the Role

The Research Director is a strategic role providing guidance and ensuring execution of projects and programs across the field of Immuno-Oncology. The individual will work closely with PICI Clinical and Informatics departments to develop and drive multiple integrated programs, including operational control over objectives. The individual will work on multiple, complex projects and regularly interact with senior leadership.

Reporting Structure and Team

The Research Director reports to the Chief Scientific Officer.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Essential Job Functions

• Participates in setting direction and evaluating drugs and technologies in support of the Institute’s focus areas, which include:
  • Adoptive Cell Therapies
    • Target Discovery and Validation
    • Gene regulation
    • CMC processes

  • Checkpoint blockade
    • Next-generation inhibitory receptors
    • Mechanistic analyses of responses
    • Rational combination therapies

  • Antigen Discovery and Vaccine development
    • Neoantigen pipeline validation
    • Approaches to shared antigen discovery
    • Vaccine technologies

  • Characterization and modification of the TME
    • Novel technologies to understand the role of the TME
    • Technologies, including viral delivery and NCEs, for modifying the TME

  • Database management
    • Single cell RNAseq
    • Phosphoproteomics
    • Database maintenance

• Provide technical awareness, scientific leadership, and ensure state-of-the-art competency within I/O area.
• Leadership and close collaboration in cross-functional project teams and across all research sites.
• Leadership and close collaboration with PICI clinical project teams to ensure appropriate trial design and mechanistic assay implementation.
• Use of personal network in the identification of new project opportunities from external partners in academia or the biotech industry.
• Responsible for the evaluation of new project opportunities presented by Member Researchers and external partners and for recommendations to Senior Leadership.
• Lead and manage the pre-clinical project evaluation process.
• Actively review patents and patent applications in areas of research relevance and identify opportunities.
• Write, review and approve collaborative research manuscripts.
• In compliance with the research strategy, and in collaboration with the project teams, identify and expand external research contacts.
• Actively participate in selecting participants for the Parker Institute Scholars and Fellows program.
• Ensure appropriate scientific representation at external scientific meetings, conferences, etc.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• PhD in Immunology or an associated area and at least 15 years of relevant work experience or a Master’s degree and 20 years of relevant work experience
• Some industry or biotech experience is strongly preferred
• Broad, detailed understanding of field that has resulted in a solid track record of generating critical data, innovations of tangible benefit to research programs, and/or initiation of projects/programs
• Solid technical background with understanding and hands-on experience with immunology or related research technique
• Recognized within the greater IO community through patents, publications, invited talks, and/or collaborations
• Innovative approach in both scientific research and in problem solving
• Ability to influence, lead and manage conflict
• Ability to adapt to changes
• Ability to handle stress and work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent client-facing and internal communication skills, both written and verbal