Postdoc : Heidelberg, Germany

The German Cancer Research Center is the largest biomedical research institution in Germany. With more than 2,700 employees, we operate an extensive scientific program in the field of cancer research.

The Division of Translational Oncology is seeking for January 2016 a

Postdoc

Researchers in understanding mechanisms of drug response (signaling, precision oncology, ex-vivo drug testing, multi-omics technology)

(Ref-No. 249/2015)

Description:
The National Center of Tumor Disease (NCT) is a joint Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center (dkfz) aimed at providing world class translational cancer research and cancer care.

DKFZ/NCT (in close cooperation with EMBL Heidelberg) is looking for postdoctoral researchers to join the lymphoma program in the group of Thorsten Zenz at NCT (http://www.nct-heidelberg.de/forschung/nct-clinical-and-translational-research-programs-groups/clinical-discovery/nct-ccp-clllymphoma-zenz.html).

SMART is a precision oncology initiative for blood cancer, lead by the (NCT), which uses innovative large-scale ex-vivo drug response phenotyping approaches of primary (patient) tumors together with comprehensive multi-omic characterization for personalized and stratified treatment design and interrogation of signaling pathways required for cancer cells.

SOUND is an international research project funded by the European Commission (EC) within its Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program “Personalizing Health and Care”. Its objective is to create the bioinformatic tools for statistically informed use of personal genomes and levels other `omic data (multi-omics) in medicine, including cancers and rare metabolic diseases. It comprises partners from top research institutions including Cambridge, Munich, Zurich, Seattle, Heidelberg and Lisbon, and will run from September 2016 for 3 years.
The project is embedded in the Heidelberg Institute of Personalized Oncology (HIPO).

To understand the molecular basis underlying drug response, we exploit the integrative analysis of large phenotypic, genetic and multi-omic screens, including advanced new phenotyping assays (e.g. high-throughput microscopy) and mine these data for biological discovery and medical utilization. The position is set at the cutting-edge of scientific research related to mechanisms of disease, personalized medicine, genome bioinformatics and statistics, and its clinical translation. Current molecular pathways studied include mTOR, BCR, MEK/ERK and DNA damage response.

The tasks will include:

• Experimental validation of findings generated by high-throughput, high-content cell-based assays on primary tumor material with pharmacological (cancer drugs) and genetic interventions
• Analysis of multi-omic data including whole genome and exome sequencing, RNA-Seq, methylome, proteomics
• Development of experimental platforms to proof/validate mechanistic insights including RNAi,CRISPR/CAS9 and pathway focused studies
• Development of experimental strategies breaking resistance of cancer cells focusing on lymphoma models

Work on these tasks will be embedded in a growing team of researchers, bioinformaticians and physicians. The researcher will drive the biological mining of these data and the design and execution of follow-up experiments and of further, higher resolution large-scale screens.

Your profile:
The position is highly interdisciplinary. Researcher requires PhD-level expertise in functional genomics, cancer biology, cellular signalling, or a related field. He/she will be able to mechanistically dissect biological mechanisms using wet and dry tools. Candidates with experience in high-content screening, genomics or signaling are encouraged to apply.

An appropriate publication record is expected.

The position requires the ability to independently take responsibility over your project, strong teamwork and communication skills, reliability, attention to detail and effective time management. Physician scientists are encouraged to apply and part time clinical commitments are possible.

Please contact Thorsten Zenz (thorsten.zenz@nct-heidelberg.de) for questions.

The position is initially limited to 2 years. The position can in principle be part-time.

For further information please contact
Lena Fuchs, phone 06221 42-1633.

The German Cancer Research Center is committed to increase the percentage of female scientists and encourages female applicants to apply. Among candidates of equal aptitude and qualifications, a person with disabilities will be given preference.