Last Updated on April 28, 2026 by Scholar Idea
Explore Harvard University Postdoctoral Positions. Listings for HMS, SEAS, and FAS research fellows. Guide on salaries, visas, and how to contact Harvard PIs.
Securing a postdoctoral position at Harvard University (United States) represents a definitive milestone in a researcher’s career. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you join a community of over 5,000 scholars across the Harvard Medical School (HMS), the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
Furthermore, Harvard provides a robust infrastructure for professional development through the Office for Postdoctoral Affairs, offering resources for grant writing, career transitions, and laboratory management. In addition to internal funding, Harvard University Postdoctoral Positions are frequently successful in securing prestigious external fellowships from the NIH, NSF, and various private foundations.
Consequently, for researchers who have recently completed their PhD, navigating Harvard University Postdoctoral Positions is the first step toward joining this elite academic network. Below are the key recruitment sectors and current application trends.
Harvard University Postdoctoral Positions
Post-Doctoral Fellow in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Myers Lab)
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
The Myers Lab invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow position. We areseeking motivated, bright scientists to join our antibiotics drug discovery anddevelopment team in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology atHarvard University (Andrew G. Myers Research Group).1. Prepare antibiotic compounds from milligram to gram scale using state-of-the-art organic synthesis and technology. …
HMS – Postdoctoral Fellow in Albers Lab, part of the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science
Harvard Medical School
We invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in Albers lab within the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science at Harvard Medical School in Boston Massachusetts. The work of the Albers lab is focused on mechanisms and therapeutic development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease . We welcome applications from recent PhD graduates who are interested in these or re…
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Harvard Medical School
We invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in the von Andrian laboratory in the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. The work of the von Andrian lab is focused on the molecular mechanisms of immune cell migration and homing in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues using intravital microscopy techniques. We welcome applications from recent PhD gradu…
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Position – Stem Cells, Aging and Genome Medicine
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
The Laboratory of Stem Cells, Aging and Genome Medicines, headed by Dr. Amy Wagers in Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB), invites applications from highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellows to join our team. Our lab uses stem cell biology, immunology and genome engineering to unravel fundamental mechanisms of tissue regeneration and to develop new gene and cell thera…
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Harvard Medical School
We invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in the Merkenschlager Lab in the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. The work of the Merkenschlager Lab focuses on germinal center interactions and how they promote the development of an acquired immune response. We welcome applications from PhD graduates who are interested in this or a related field,…
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship –Nutrition and Global Health
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Nutrition and Global Health Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with expertise and interest in global maternal, child, and adolescent health and nutrition. The research fellow will participate in food and nutrition-related projects and contribute to broader global health research in related domains of climate chang…
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Buddhist Ministry
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School invites application for the 2026-27 academic year as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for Buddhist Ministry to join us in Fall 2026. We understand ‘ministry’ in the most capacious sense—that of a leader or caregiver grounded in the Buddhist traditions or drawing from Buddhist wisdom to be of service to the world, whether in a Buddhist community or sangha setting. The Fell…
HMS – Postdoctoral Fellow in Rajpurkar Lab
Harvard Medical School
The Rajpurkar Lab at Harvard Medical School seeks a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to develop and evaluate artificial intelligence methods for physical medical procedures. The fellow will design and implement machine learning models to analyze procedural data, support clinical decision-making, and improve patient outcomes.Responsibilities include conducting original research, preparing manuscript…
Postdoctoral Researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Religion
Harvard Divinity School
We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Religion based at Harvard Divinity School (HDS). This interdisciplinary position explores how contemporary AI systems interact with religious thought, practice, ethics, institutions, and communities. The postdoc will conduct independent and collaborative research at the intersection of AI, theology, religious st…
Research Fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Department of Statistics at Harvard University seeks applicants for a postdoctoral fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering.This position is for a Postdoctoral Scholar in the area of information theory and artificial intelligence at the Harvard Information Theory Laboratory. The successful candidate will work und…
Post-Doctoral position in Extragalactic Astrophysics (JWST)
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
The Harvard College Observatory invites applications for one or more postdoctoral positions in extragalactic astrophysics, with a focus on observational studies using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).The successful candidate will work with Prof. Daniel Eisenstein and collaborators on the analysis and interpretation of JWST data, with particular emphasis on deep-field observations. The posi…
Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurobiology (Livingstone Lab)
Harvard Medical School
We invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in Livingstone lab at Harvard Medical School in Boston Massachusetts. The work of the Livingstone lab is focused on primate inferotemporal cortex. We welcome applications from recent PhD graduates who are interested in these or related fields, particularly those who may bring a new technology or perspective to bear on the work in the lab. …
Lecturer of Cell Biology and Director of the Core for Imaging Technology & Education (CITE)
Harvard Medical School
The Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) seeks an accomplished and collaborative scientist to serve as Lecturer of Cell Biology and Director of the Core for Imaging Technology & Education (CITE). The successful candidate will lead a state-of-the-art light microscopy core facility that provides advanced imaging expertise, training, and strategic scientific support to th…
Postdoctoral Position in the Shi laboratory, The Rowland Institute at Harvard
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
We are seeking an intellectually curious and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the Shi Lab at the Rowland Institute at Harvard.Our research focuses onuncovering the molecular mechanisms that drive brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. We specialize in decoding glycans—complex carbohydrates that decorate our cells and permeate our brain’s extracellular environment. Despite t…
Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Humanities at Dumbarton Oaks
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Dumbarton Oaks invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Humanities to further the goals of the Plant Humanities Lab, an open-access digital tool that features peer reviewed cultural histories of plants from the perspectives of the humanities, arts, and sciences. Dumbarton Oaks is committed to ongoing development and enhancement of the tool as an Open Education Resource for facult…
CRISES Postdoc
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
The core mission of the Center for Race, Inequality and Social Equity Studies (CRISES) is the scholarly analysis of contemporary ethno-racial inequality, especially as articulated with class-based and gendered social conditions, through rigorous methodologies, theory-driven insights, and empirically grounded research. The social scientific research conducted by CRISES will inform the vision and…
Postdoctoral Writing Fellow – STEM
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
For the academic year 2026–2027, the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) at Harvard University seeks either a full-time postdoctoral fellow or a half-time postdoctoral fellow in a STEM field to serve as a Writing Specialist in Harvard Griffin GSAS’s Fellowships & Writing Center. The STEM postdoctoral fellow will assist students with all genres of academic writing…
Postdoctoral Writing Fellows – Social Sciences and Humanities
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
For the academic year 2026–2027, the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) at Harvard University seeks postdoctoral fellows in Social Sciences and Humanities to serve as Writing Specialists in Harvard Griffin GSAS’s Fellowships & Writing Center. Discipline-specific writing specialists will assist students with all genres of academic writing, including fellowship pr…
Research Fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellow in Agentic AI for Science
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Professor Jia Liu is seeking a highly-motivated postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in agentic artificial intelligence and machine learning. The successful candidate will conduct independent, high-impact research at the intersection of autonomous AI systems, neural computation, omics and neurobehavior analysis.The position focuses on developing AI agents inspired by and applied to …
HMS – Postdoctoral Fellow in Genetics
Harvard Medical School
The laboratory of Dr. Yankner at Harvard Medical School is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate the molecular genetics and neurobiology underlying microglial and oligodendrocyte function in the context of aging, neurodegeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and collaborative research environment focused on uncovering the cellul…
Postdoctoral Fellow – Health Care Markets, Policy, and Regulation
Harvard Business School
We are inviting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship position. The prospective postdoctoral fellow will work with faculty and students conducting research on health care markets, policy and regulation. During the one or two-year fellowship, the fellow will work with faculty on ongoing research focused on a range of issues including insurance markets, drug pricing, provider pricing, vertic…
Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioinspired Materials for VOC Indoor Air Quality Assessment
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Aizenberg Lab at Harvard University is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join a multidisciplinary team to lead a field-based study characterizing volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure across diverse real-world indoor environments. This role offers the opportunity to conduct mobile sensor measurements, analyze air quality data, and generate insights to support the commercialization of …
Postdoctoral Fellow / Visiting Scholar (paid) Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Harvard University
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) invites applications for paid Postdoctoral Fellow / Visiting Scholar appointments to conduct advanced historical research in Islamic art, architecture, material culture, and archaeology at Harvard University. We welcome applications from recent PhD graduates (as Postdoctoral Fellow) and mid-career scholars/senior scholars (as Visiting Schola…
Postdoctoral Fellow – PKPD Modelling, Lung-on-Chip
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
About the Wyss:The Wyss Institute’s mission is to transform healthcare and the environment by emulating the way nature builds. We harness the imagination of academia and the focus of industry to translate ground-breaking technologies into commercial products that solve big problems. We support research that universities, companies, and venture capital firms don’t fund because they view it as to…
Postdoctoral Fellow in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
We seek a postdoctoral research associate to work with Professor Michael Desai at Harvard University on projects involving inferring sequence-function landscapes, using a combination of empirical data and ML methods (e.g. transformer models). One focus of this work will be on B-cell receptor evolution. Experience in applications of modern machine learning methods as well as in biological data a…
HMS – Postdoctoral Fellow in Zitnik Lab
Harvard Medical School
We invite applicants for a postdoctoral fellow position in theZitnik lab at Harvard Medical School in BostonMassachusetts. The work of the Zitnik lab is focused onArtificial Intelligence for Medicine and Science.The selected candidates will lead research in generative,multimodal, and agentic AI, as well as foundation models,with a focus on geometric deep learning, large-scaleknowledge graphs, a…
Postdoctoral Fellow in Electrical Engineering
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Y-Lab is seeking a postdoctoral fellow for projects in the following areas:Optical-to-optical quantum frequency transductionUV–visible integrated photonicsHeterogeneous integration of silicon photonics with solid-state gain and/ or electro-optic / piezoelectric materials
Postdoctoral Fellow – History at HBS
Harvard Business School
The History at HBS Project at Harvard Business School identifies and supports outstanding scholars whose work responds to the growing interest in the study of Business from a historical perspective.One History at HBS Postdoctoral Fellow will be appointed for the academic year 2026-2027 and will be provided time, guidance, office space, and access to Harvard University facilities. Fellows should…
Featured Postdoctoral Opportunities
- Harvard Medical School (HMS) Lab Openings: Most positions in immunology, neurobiology, and genetics are listed directly on lab websites or the HMS “Postdoc Match” portal.
- The Harvard Society of Fellows: Highly prestigious Junior Fellowships (3-year terms) with no teaching requirements.
- Environment & Sustainability: The Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) offers fellowships for interdisciplinary environmental research.
- SEAS Postdoctoral Fellowships: Focus on Applied Physics, Bioengineering, and Data Science.
Essential Guide for International Applicants
Since a large portion of your Scholar Idea audience is international, these three points are critical:
- The Visa Process: Most international postdocs at Harvard are sponsored for J-1 (Exchange Visitor) status. Harvard’s International Office (HIO) is world-class and handles the DS-2019 paperwork once a PI makes an offer.
- Salary Standards: For 2026, Harvard generally follows (or exceeds) the NIH NRSA stipends. Expect starting salaries for first-year postdocs to be in the range of $65,000 – $72,000, though this varies by school and discipline.
- Direct Contacting: Many Harvard postdocs are never publicly advertised. The most effective way to secure a position is to email PIs directly with a tailored CV and a specific research proposal that aligns with their current grant funding.