● Join the lab
Join us
Open Position
Postdoctoral researcher
We are looking for an exceptional postdoctoral researcher in AML genomics to help build Kupalab from the ground up. As our first postdoc, you will help establish the experimental foundations and shape the lab’s scientific direction, gaining firsthand experience in building a research program.
We are a translational research lab, and our questions begin in the clinic. Why does leukemia persist through treatment? What changes before it returns? By following acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from diagnosis through treatment and relapse, we ask how gene activity, chromatin accessibility and cell-surface features relate to the course of a patient’s disease.
The work
This is a two-year opportunity. Our first year will involve building the experimental foundations: reproducible processing of patient samples, reliable bulk RNA-seq and ATAC-seq, and careful quality control. We will also evaluate single-cell Multiome and CITE-seq using separate, matched aliquots, working out what is feasible and informative for our samples. Strong candidates will have extensive experience building and rescuing assays.
Alongside the experimental work, you will help integrate artificial intelligence (AI) across the lab’s workflows, from deploying our electronic lab notebook and connecting instruments to data analysis and hypothesis generation. We do not require extensive prior experience with AI, but you should be able to describe one AI-integrated or AI-assisted project you have undertaken.
Our aim is to begin generating a longitudinal dataset that will help us identify mechanisms worth testing, support future grant applications and provide the basis for a first manuscript. You will help make the decisions behind this work: choosing controls, troubleshooting assays, interpreting unexpected results and shaping the questions we pursue next.
What I am looking for
- Substantial hands-on experience generating sequencing data, particularly RNA-seq and ATAC-seq.
- Strong molecular and cellular methods, including experience working through experiments that did not go as planned.
- The computational confidence to interpret quality-control metrics, question an analysis and work closely with computational collaborators.
- Curiosity and enthusiasm about integrating AI into scientific research.
- Careful documentation, reproducible workflows and the initiative to take increasing ownership of a project.
Experience with primary hematologic samples, flow cytometry, Multiome or CITE-seq would be especially useful. Familiarity with R or Python, batch effects and data integration would also be an advantage.
What you can learn here
AML biology, including the KMT2A–HOXA9/MEIS1 pathway, and specific single-cell platforms and analysis tools can be areas of development. I’m interested in what you already do well, how you approach unfamiliar problems and what you want to learn next.
We are starting this lab at a moment when AI is opening new possibilities for how we work. I’m excited to explore those possibilities from the outset, in both lab workflows and data analysis. We are all developing our AI expertise as the technology changes rapidly. Advanced proficiency is not required when you arrive. Through this experience, you will become highly proficient in frontier AI approaches. However, you should be enthusiastic about experimenting with frontier tools. Above all, you should possess the scientific judgement required to evaluate AI outputs.
Contact me about the postdoctoral position
If this sounds like work you would like to be part of, please email gillian@kupalab.bio with your CV and a short note about an assay you built or rescued. I’d like to hear what went wrong, what you changed and what you learned. I’d also like to hear how you are integrating AI into your workflow and daily routine.
Graduate Student (Upcoming Opportunity)
We expect to be recruiting graduate students in the near future. Please contact us if you are considering graduate school and would be interested in moving to Syracuse and doing your degree in the Kupalab at SUNY Upstate.
Current SUNY Upstate Students (UNDERGRAD & MEDICAL)
We may be able to accommodate select medical students and undergraduates who are already attending SUNY Upstate in lab setup and AI integration projects at a time commitment of at least 5 hours per week. Please contact us with your year, program, and availability. Indicate how we would fit into your studies. Impress us with any recent AI builds or experiments.
Joining us means working at the intersection of leukemia biology, multiomics, and emerging AI approaches. You’ll help explore what these tools can make possible, learn to evaluate them critically, and connect experimental discovery with questions that matter to patients. We welcome people who want to stretch their skills, share what they know, and help shape where the science goes next.
Mentorship is central to Kupalab. We want you to develop your own scientific questions, strengthen your scientific judgment, and pursue a rewarding career, both here and wherever you go next. We make room for thoughtful feedback, honest conversations about your next steps, and increasing independence as your expertise grows.