Join our Laboratory
The Fine Lab welcomes inquiries from scientists who want to investigate glioblastoma through the interaction of cancer biology, computational biology, neuroscience, and human disease modeling. We are interested in applicants with a strong foundation in their own discipline and the curiosity to pursue questions that cross conventional boundaries. Expertise in every method used in the laboratory is neither expected nor necessary; the ability to formulate a meaningful question, evaluate evidence, and develop an approach to an unfamiliar problem is more important.
The research program offers several points of entry. An investigator interested in cell biology or genomics might examine how chromatin or RNA regulation constrains state transitions. A neuroscientist could study the contribution of tumor–host communication to invasion or stress tolerance. Researchers in immunology and tissue engineering can address how microglial and vascular environments alter malignant behavior. Computational scientists can develop quantitative models of those interactions or methods linking functional responses to molecular features. These projects are connected through shared patient-derived systems and through experiments that test how the different levels of organization influence one another.
Training is directed toward scientific independence. Laboratory members are expected to develop ownership of their questions, understand the limitations of their models, and make an argument for the next experiment rather than simply carry out a predetermined sequence of assays. Guidance is adapted to experience and project stage, with scientific discussion spanning the laboratory’s experimental and computational expertise. A well-designed negative result can redirect a project; a positive result must withstand comparison with alternative explanations and independent tests.
We regard writing, presentation, and critical reading as part of research training. Developing a manuscript or fellowship application, reviewing a paper, and explaining an unexpected result are opportunities to clarify the biological argument as well as communicate it. Laboratory members are encouraged to learn how collaborators from other disciplines formulate a problem, while retaining responsibility for the interpretation of their own work. The translational setting provides a continuing connection to the clinical questions that motivate the program without substituting clinical urgency for experimental rigor.
We welcome inquiries from prospective postdoctoral researchers, research staff, graduate trainees, and physician-scientists. Please send a CV and a brief account of your scientific interests, relevant experience, and the questions you would like to pursue to haf9016@med.cornell.edu. A representative publication, preprint, or other research contribution is helpful when available. Please identify the type of role or training opportunity you are seeking. Position availability and formal appointment or training requirements are determined through the appropriate Weill Cornell process; an inquiry does not imply that a particular funded opening is currently available.