Postdoctoral Scientist (Immuno-oncology)

(ref. BAP-2023-48)

Broad Research Topic: Designing and valorising next-generation immunotherapy solutions for immuno-resistant tumours to pave way for near future clinical and industrial applications Description: This is a unique position for a highly motivated candidate, available at the Laboratory of Cell Stress & Immunity (CSI) in KU Leuven, for a research project at the interface of fundamental translational research and immunotherapy product-oriented valorisation efforts in collaboration with the PharmAbs platform of KU Leuven. This position is embedded in a project that brings together the CSI lab with a translational immunology focus (led by Prof. Abhishek D. Garg), and PharmAbs with an antibody development focus (managed by Dr. Nick Geukens). The CSI lab focusses on the following research themes: cancer immunology & immunotherapy, immunology of cancer cell death, immune cell biology, computational immunology, and multi-omics biomarkers for clinical immuno-oncology. The CSI lab aims to specialize in reverse translational approaches to hasten progress in immuno-oncology and help improve therapeutic outlook for cancer patients, in close collaboration with leading researchers, immunologists, and oncologists. PharmAbs is a KU Leuven innovation, valorisation and incubation platform focused on (1) the development of novel antibody discovery and delivery technologies and (2) innovative antibody-based therapeutics and diagnostics. For the current project, PharmAbs’ expertise and technologies will be used to translate basic scientific innovations emerging at our lab into therapeutic solutions for personalized medicine that can be implemented in the clinic and/or commercialized by third parties in near future. More specifically, this project aims to utilize novel insights recently gained on targeting immuno-resistant tumours in the CSI lab and convert these into tangible antibody-based immunotherapies for treating tumours that have failed to response to anti-PD(L)1 or anti-CTLA4 immunotherapies. The project will integrate advanced antibody and genetic engineering with immuno-oncology, multi-omics workflows, and translational immunotherapy. With this project we ambitiously aim to go significantly beyond the current state-of-the-art, by creating innovative immunotherapies that would be eventually ready-to-use in a clinic. For more info on CSI lab, see this website: https://abhishek-d-garg.wixsite.com/csi-lab For more info on PharmAbs, see this website: https://www.pharmabs.org/ This postdoc position will be located within the research group of Prof. Abhishek D. Garg, but the candidate is expected to work intensively with the researchers at PharmAbs to effectively co-ordinate this project in a highly collaborative context.

• Performing high-quality experiments dealing with genetic engineering, antibody engineering, ex vivo immune cell biology, immune activation mechanisms, bioinformatics,flow cytometry-based immunophenotyping,and in vivo tumor immunology & immunotherapy.
• Delivering presentations (oral or poster) in collaboration meetings, consortium/institutional seminars, and national/international symposiums or conferences.
• Eager to carry out visitations (if required) to other laboratories (within Belgium or abroad) for learning new techniques.
• Eager to co-supervise the thesis projects of master’s and PhD students, as well as collaborate with postdoctoral scientists and lab tech.

• You must hold a PhD degree in life sciences, medicine, biotechnology, biosciences, biomedicine, or equivalent related fields from a recognized university.
• You must have demonstrated following skills: cell culture, basic animal handling, basic in vitro experiments, immunology analyses, basic laboratory skills, basic data analyses & statistics.
• You must have solid knowledge of immunology, oncology, and/or cancer biology.
• Practical knowledge and skills in immuno-oncology, advanced bioinformatics or antibodygeneration/genetic engineering would be a plus.
• You should be a team player with good oral and written (English) communication skills.
• A proven and successful publication track record in this field.
• High intrinsic motivation and a strong scientific curiosity.
• Ability to be inventive and to present novel ideas in method development and interpretation.
• Experience in working with deadlines and being involved in multiple projects.

• A full-time contract for one year with the possibility to extend (at least) 2 more years thereafter. You are stimulated to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship.
• Opportunity to work on projects that have real-world applications for cancer patients thereby being attractive forbiotech/pharma industries, and oncologists at hospitals.
• Bright possibilities for crosstalk with industrial partners and clinicians to chart translation and valorisation of immunotherapy.
• Access to state-of-the-art infrastructures and active collaborations with well-known Belgian or international laboratories.
• A stimulating, international research environment in a world-class academic laboratory and the opportunity to interact with several highly collaborative and world-class investigators.
• The ability to work on scientifically exceptional and high impact, state-of-the-art projects.

• The KU Leuven is one of the most innovative universities in Europe. Leuven is located 20 min. from Brussels, in the center of Europe.

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Abhishek Garg, tel.: +32 16 37 93 40, mail: abhishek.garg@kuleuven.be or Mr. Nick Geukens, tel.: +32 16 37 71 77, mail: nick.geukens@kuleuven.be.

Please complete the online application procedure and include a detailed CV including list of publications, a motivation letter, and the contact information of three referees.

KU Leuven wil een omgeving creëren waarin alle talenten maximaal tot ontplooiing kunnen komen, ongeacht gender, leeftijd, culturele herkomst, nationaliteit of functiebeperking. Hebt u vragen in verband met toegankelijkheid of ondersteuningsmogelijkheden, dan kan u ons contacteren via diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.