Postdoc in Functional Genomics for Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Target Discovery

Job description

APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: February 25th, 2024

Human Technopole (HT) is a new interdisciplinary life science research institute created and supported by the Italian government, aimed at developing innovative solutions.

Situated in the Computational Biology Research Centre of HT, the Iorio Lab  operates at the intersection of biology, machine learning, statistics, and information theory. Our goal is to comprehend and predict how genomic alterations and molecular traits, derived from various omics, contribute to pathological processes, rewire biological circuits, and influence therapeutic responses in human cancers and other diseases.

About the Iorio Lab

Our lab has recently been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant (grant n.101125051), funding the DepSHOCK project. The project focuses on identifying robust transcriptional markers of cancer cell vulnerabilities. These markers will be used together with single-cell transcriptomic profiling of cancer models, to advance personalised medicine and the rational design of anti-cancer combinatorial therapies.

Leveraging prior knowledge from the Cancer Dependency Map , this project will generate post-perturbational transcriptomic datasets at both bulk and single-cell resolution, upon individual CRISPR-based genetic knockouts of relevant cancer dependency genes in associated dependent cancer in vitro models, as well as in a pooled fashion, using scale-limited libraries of single-guide RNAs.

We are actively seeking a post-doctoral fellow to play a key role in the DepSHOCK project. The selected candidate will be an integral part of the team generating and analysing data across the project’s work packages. They will closely interact with the DepSHOCK lab technician and computational postdoc, mainly performing wet laboratories activities but also using bioinformatics packages and software tools for basic computational tasks. Additionally, the hired candidate will provide support for the experimental validation of the identified markers, working closely with our external collaborators.

HT benefits from accessibility to the HT National Facility for Genomics, providing state-of-the-art and innovative services ranging from high-throughput sequencing to multi-omics technologies.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Contributing to the design of target prioritization pipelines to select cancer dependency genes and corresponding dependent cancer cell lines for inclusion in the DepSHOCK project.
• Performing CRISPR-based individual gene knock-out experiments on human cancer cell lines with viability readouts as well as longitudinal bulk RNA-sequencing readouts (the DepSHOCK footprints).
• Pre-processing and mapping of the DepSHOCK footprints.
• Performing CRISPRscreens with transcriptomic readouts at single-cell (sc) resolution and pre-processing of resulting data.
• Generating novel scientific hypotheses, interpreting results, writing scientific manuscripts, and disseminating findings through participation in conferences and scientific meetings.
• Interacting with external collaborators for conducting validation experiments.

Job requirements

Essential requirements

• A PhD degree (obtained within 6 months after the call closure) in a relevant subject, e.g., molecular biology, biotechnology, genetics, biochemistry, or in a related field of the life sciences.
• Experience with functional genomics & genetic perturbation techniques (e.g., CRISPR) including delivery methods, i.e. transfection / transduction / electroporation.
• Fluency in English – HT is an international research institute.

Preferred requirements

• Experience with siRNA, shRNA, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and similar technologies.
• Knowledge of plasmid vector design to perform gain and loss of function studies, experience with bacteria manipulation including liquid and solid culture of bacteria, isolation and transformation, and plasmid DNA extraction.
• Basic knowledge of R or Python and scripting skills is considered highly advantageous.
• Experience with handling large-scale projects is considered advantageous.
• Familiarity with cancer genomics is considered advantageous.
• Familiarity with 10x single-cell assays is considered advantageous.
• Basic programming ability and software versioning tools is considered advantageous.

Organizational and social skills:

• Ability to interact effectively with other teams and work synergistically to drive projects forward.
• Proven communication, team building and problem-solving skills.

Application Instructions

Please apply online by sending:

i) a CV

ii) a motivation letter in English

iii) names and contacts of 2 referees

For any inquiry about the call, please feel free to contact Dr. Francesco Iorio, [email protected] (this email address should not be used to send applications).

Why Human Technopole

HT seeks scientific excellence, we recruit the best scientific talents through international, open calls.

Our working environment is international, friendly and inclusive. Our scientists work together across disciplines on research topics of biomedical relevance, leveraging synergies between their diverse skillsets and methodological approaches.

We believe that highly diverse teams yield the best and most innovative results.

We engage in outward-facing scientific activities aimed at benefiting the national and international research community. Training is also at the heart of our activity, with initiatives and opportunities for our staff, including scientific courses, conferences and workshops.

Main benefits

• Welfare plans.
• Canteen service.
• Work-life balance provisions.
• Italian language training for foreigners.
• Maternity leave up to 1 year and other support for new parents.
• Counseling.
• Possibility of flexible working hours
• Support for relocation.
• Tax benefits where applicable.

Special consideration will be given to candidates who are part of the protected categories list, according to L. 68/99.

Number of positions offered: 1

Contract offered: CCNL Chimico Farmaceutico, fixed-term 4 years - employee level.

The position is based in Milan.