Research assistant in bioinformatics with a focus on cancer immunology

Targeting the immune system to treat tumors has revolutionized cancer care, but many patients fail to respond to current immunotherapies, which mainly target T cells. Tumor-infiltrating B cells and B-cell derived antibody-producing plasma cells have emerged as promising anti-cancer targets but remain less studied. We have developed a new method to study B cells and their B cell receptors within their microenvironment in human tissues using spatial transcriptomics. We need a research assistant in bioinformatics to help identify tumor-associated B cells and antibodies with therapeutic potential.

We are seeking a research assistant in bioinformatics for a 6 months project, with the possibility of extension. The main duties include:

• run and streamline the lab’s computational/bioinformatics pipelines
• perform data analysis for on-going projects in the lab
• maintain and organize the lab’s code base (including data storage and notebooks for data sharing).
• help with lab management 

The applicant will work in close collaboration with other PhD students, postdocs, and researchers. The applicant is expected to actively perform bioinformatical research, using animal models and human samples, and present results to general and specialized audiences. The applicant is expected to be highly engaged, curious, and a team player.

Our lab has an opening for a highly creative and motivated research assistant with an interest to perform doctoral studies in the future. We look for a candidate with proficiency and documented research experience particularly in immunology and bioinformatics, as well as Python and R programming language (critical).The candidate should have at least a bachelor’s degree in the relevant field and preferably also documented experience in teaching and scientific communication. Experience in doing “wet lab” experiments will be considered a merit. The candidate is expected to work with pre-clinical and clinical data.  

The position will require independent work as well as extensive collaboration with other experimental groups. Fluency in both oral and written English is necessary. Documented ability to analyze and present results orally and written is important. The research requires highly interdisciplinary work involving teams of contributors; therefore, team players that are motivated to help each other are highly encouraged to apply.

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several good benefits through our collective agreement. And you get to practice freely in our modern wellness facilities, where trained staff are on site.

The position is located within the Department of Medicine, Solna. The department consists of twelve divisions and each division consists of several research groups. The position is located within the research groupled by Dr. Camilla Engblom, hosted by Dr. Eduardo Villablanca in the Allergy and Immunology division. The overall goal for the lab is to understand mechanisms of B cell-related immune responses in cancer to identify new avenues for anti-cancer therapy. To do this, we interrogate the spatial relationships between B cell clones and their immediate niches within the cancer tissue using our in-house developed cutting-spatial transcriptomics-based technology (Spatial VDJ). Using established and newly developed algorithms, we map B cell evolution within tumors, including class switching and somatic hypermutation, and identify putative candidate tumor-regulatory antibody sequences for functional testing. In addition to the lab’s focus area, our research group has national and international collaborative projects within host-microbe interactions, vaccine research, technological development, and mucosal immunology.  Our lab aims to foster a creative, diverse, and inclusive work environment with the goal for all lab members to answer ambitious and exciting scientific questions. The lab is located within a vibrant immunology community (the Allergy and Immunology division at the Department of Medicine, Solna) with expertise within different aspect of allergy and autoimmune diseases.

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The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.In this recruitment, you will apply with your CV without a personal letter. Instead, you will answer some questions about why you are applying for the job in the application form. 

Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.