Fred Hutch Cancer Center's Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC) and Immunotherapy IRC invite PhD (or equivalent) students and recent graduates planning to begin a postdoctoral position by November 2027 to apply for Postdoc Recruitment in Immunology, Medicine and Data science (PRIMeD) at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington.
Date: October 8-9, 2026
Location: Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Hosts: Fred Hutch Immunotherapy IRC, Translational Data Science IRC
This fully funded, three-day visit offers prospective postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to explore the breadth of research in immunotherapy and data science at Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
Participants will have the opportunity to share their research, learn about faculty research programs, network with Fred Hutch postdocs and faculty, and learn about the postdoctoral training environment and the vast resources available at Fred Hutch. This program is designed for students interested in pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology and/or data science. Students either currently in immunology or data science, or interested in switching fields, are equally encouraged to apply.
Students accepted into the program will give an oral presentation of their work, hear from Fred Hutch scientists and have opportunities to engage in scientific discussions with Fred Hutch faculty and trainees. Following the symposium, participants can apply for open positions in labs of interest, and those hired will have the opportunity to apply for postdoctoral fellowships through the IRCs.
To view participating labs and faculty, please visit:
Detailed Agenda
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (Arrival Day) | |
Various times | Trainees arrive in Seattle; welcome packet at Silvercloud Inn Hotel. |
OPTIONAL Early Arrival to Seattle for Tours and Social Events | |
11:45am | Welcome gathering at the hotel, then transport to MOHAI. |
12:00 - 4:15pm | Boat Tour and Lunch with Seattle Waterways |
Afternoon | Transport and Check-in at Silvercloud Inn Hotel |
All Trainees Arrive in Seattle | Welcome Reception Location: Dockside at Dukes, 1111 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 |
Thursday, October 8, 2026 (Day 1) | |
Breakfast at Silvercloud Inn Hotel | |
Fred Hutch Steam Plant Building, O’Mack Suites | |
8:30am |
Gather in the Silvercloud Inn hotel lobby and walk to campus |
9:00–9:10am | Welcome and Introductions by Melissa Alvendia |
9:10–9:30am | Support for Postdocs at FH by Karen Peterson |
9:30–11:00am
| Faculty Presentations (25 min concurrent presentations + 5 min questions) Room A (S1-141) Haolong Li
Room B (S1-142) Megan Koch
|
11:00–11:30am | BREAK |
11:30–1:00pm
| Faculty Presentations (25 min concurrent presentations + 5 min questions) Room A (S1-141) Daniel Blanco-Melo
Room B (S1-142) Anthony Rongvaux
|
1:00–2:30pm | LUNCH – Postdoc Poster Session + Mixer |
2:30–3:30pm | Postdoc Ask Me Anything |
3:30–4:30pm | Fred Hutch Resource Fair |
4:30–6:00pm | BREAK / Return to Silvercloud Inn Hotel |
6:00–7:30pm | PRIMeD Dinner: Connecting Across the Fred Hutch Community Location: Lucerna (1201 Eastlake Ave, E, Seattle, WA 98102) |
Friday, October 9, 2026 (Day 2) | |
Breakfast at Silvercloud Inn Hotel | |
Fred Hutch Steam Plant Building, O’Mack Suites | |
9:00am |
Gather in the Silvercloud Inn hotel lobby and walk to campus |
9:30–11:00am
| Trainee Presentations (10 min concurrent presentations + 5 min questions) Room A (S1-141) Ricardo Rivero
Room B (S1-142) Afia Ibnat Kohon
|
11:00–11:15am | Break |
11:15–12:45pm | Trainee Presentations (10 min concurrent presentations + 5 min questions) Room A (S1-141) Nazia Riasat
Room B (S1-142) Lucinda Innes
|
12:45–1:45pm | LUNCH Location: Steam Plant Work Lounge S1-104 |
1:45–3:30pm | PRIMeD Trainees + Faculty 1:1 Meetings |
3:30–5:00pm | Optional: Additional Time to Meet with Faculty / Return to Hotel |
5:00–8:00pm | PRIMeD & Fred Hutch Trainee Social |
Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Departure Day) | |
Breakfast at Silvercloud Inn Hotel | |
| Various Times | Trainees are free to explore Seattle on their own/ Depart |
2026 PRIMeD Cohort
We are excited to announce that 21 applicants have been selected to join us this fall across the Immunology, Data Science, and Combined (Immunology & Data Science) tracks.
If you are interested in learning more about the applicants, please contact Carlyn Fausto (cfausto@fredhutch.org) to request access to the applicant portal.
| PRIMeD Applicants | Backgrounds | Tracks | Presentation Titles |
| Afia Ibnat Kohon | Research Assistant University of North Texas | Immunology | "Engineering Nanoparticles for Targeting Mechanobiologically Altered Cells in Dynamic Disease Microenvironments." |
| Aleksandra Winiarz | Graduate Student Medical College of Wisconsin | Data Science | "TTFields compliance reflects lower cellular tumor burden within contrast enhancement and FLAIR hyperintensity in glioblastoma patients." |
| Anamika Acharyya | Doctoral Researcher Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | Data Science | "A Multi-Cancer Portrait of mtDNA Copy Number: associations with genomic mutations and drug resistance." |
| Andrew Northcutt | PhD Candidate John Hopkins University | Both | "TCR Tuning: How minimal modifications to a public p53 neoantigen confer enhanced immunologic recognition ." |
| Eduardo Cruz | Graduate Assistant University of Minnesota | Both | "Immunotherapy control of pancreatic cancer is orchestrated by CD4 T cells that polarize toward an effector state and collaborate with the myeloid compartment." |
| Graham Peet | PhD Candidate University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus | Both | " Identifying and Investigating Multiple Sclerosis Associated IgGs." |
| Hayle Kincross | Graduate Student University of British Columbia | Both | "Loss of FBXO11 establishes a stem cell program in acute myeloid leukemia by dysregulating LONP1." |
| Isabel Baldwin | Graduate Student Researcher University of California - Berkeley | Immunology | "TCR signal strength during positive selection shapes CD25 expression patterns on thymically derived regulatory T cells." |
| Justin Svendsen | PhD Candidate University of Oregon | Both | "Development of affinity-based delivery systems for stimulating angiogenesis." |
Lucinda Innes | Graduate Student Weil Cornell Medicine | Immunology | "Loss of Polycomb Repressive Complex I drives increased MHC-I and resistancet to NK-cells in aggressive uveal melanoma." |
| Molly Nelson | Graduate Student University of Pennsylvania | Immunology | "Early-Life Microbes Prevent Autoimmune Diabetes by Upregulating PD-1 on T Cells." |
| Nat Murren | Graduate Research Assistant University of Wisconsin - Madison | Immunology | "Disruption of the IFNg axis limits CAR T cell efficacy against AML." |
| Nazia Riasat | PhD Student North Dakota State University | Data Science | "Comparing Bulk RNA-seq Simulators: Distributions Are Not Enough." |
| Parsa Farhang | PhD Candidate John Hopkins University | Both | "A Novel 3D Gel Matrix System to Study Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Abscess Biology and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities." |
| Ricardo Rivero | Graduate Research Assistant Washington State University | Data Science | "Viral Evolution Across the Emergence Continuum: From viral diversity to human emergence and adaptation." |
| Shannon Kirkpatrick | PhD Candidate University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus | Immunology | "C5 Complosome Expression in Disease-Associated Hepatic Macrophage Subsets Drives Inflammatory Polarization and Liver Injury Across Clinical and Preclinical Models of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease." |
| Sookyong Joo | Graduate Student University of Minnesota | Immunology | "Perinatally generated T regulatory cells have distinct roles in peripheral tolerance." |
| Sudeep Khadka | Graduate Student University of Maryland - Baltimore | Immunology | "JMJD1A is a critical regulator of non-canonical EZH2 activity in advanced prostate cancer." |
| Taksoo Kim | PhD Student/Research Assistant University of Minnesota - Madison | Data Science | "Leveraging the extra gene coding capacity of SARS-CoV-2 for research on pandemic respiratory viruses." |
| Zachary Markham | Graduate Researcher University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center | Data Science | "A multiomic look at cardiac reprogramming." |
