Postdoc in The ‘inflammation, Tissue Plasticity

Created in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) and the University of Barcelona, IRB Barcelona is a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence—a seal that was awarded in 2011.

The institute is devoted to conducting research of excellence in biomedicine and to transferring results to clinical practice, thus improving people’s quality of life, while simultaneously promoting the training of outstanding researchers, technology transfer, and public communication of science. Its 27 laboratories and seven core facilities address basic questions in biology and are orientated to diseases such as cancer, metastasis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and rare conditions.

IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 members and 30 nationalities. It is located in the Barcelona Science Park. IRB Barcelona forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and the “Xarxa de Centres de Recerca de Catalunya” (CERCA).

**IRB Barcelona is seeking a postdoctoral fellow for an immediate start in the Inflammation, Tissue Plasticity & Cancer laboratory (Dr. Direna Alonso-Curbelo). Our lab aims to understand how oncogenic mutations and environmental insults alter normal cellular identity and tissue homeostasis to drive and sustain cancer, with a focus on pancreatic and liver malignancies. To do so, we combine functional genomics tools (CRISPR/Cas9; RNAi), mouse models and organoid/cell culture systems, and (epi)genomic methods including single-cell technologies.**

**DUTIES**:
**Research**:

- Conduct independent research in molecular and microenvironmental mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis.
- Work in a team and contribute to setting up flexible preclinical pipelines to interrogate disease mechanisms in vitro and in vivo.

**Mentoring & team management**: Engage in training of students and assist the Principal Investigator with the supervision and management of the lab.

**Communication**: manuscript preparation, seminar/conference presentations, grant writing.

**EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS**:
**Must Have - Required**:

- **Experience**:

- PhD in molecular biology, cell biology, biomedicine or similar.
- Background in cancer biology, regenerative biology or immunology.
- Experience in at least one of the following approaches/tools: mouse models, functional genomics (CRISRP/RNAi), single-cell technologies.
- At least 1 first-author publication.
- Strong interest in exploring questions on cancer (epi)genetics, tumor heterogeneity, tumor-host crosstalk, and microenvironmental mechanisms of tumor evolution.
- **Knowledge**:

- Extensive laboratory experience, including in molecular biology, cell culture, functional genomics (CRISPR/Cas9 and/or RNAi), mouse models.
- Experience with mouse models of cancer (pancreatic, liver), flow cytometry, epigenetics and/or computational skills (Python or R programming languages) are a plus.
- **Skills**:

- Language: good communication skills, fluent in English (oral and written)
- Soft skills: pro-active attitude, ability to work independently and in a team environment, analytical and critical thinking, problem solving, good organizational skills.
- Strong work ethics.

**Desirable**:

- **Experience**:

- Background in inflammatory signaling or cancer/senescence immune surveillance.
- Training in competitive research environments.
- **Knowledge**:

- Primary cell culture and 3D organoid systems.
- Omics methods (transcriptomics/epigenomics, imaging/spatial proteomics, mass cytometry/CyTOF) - wet-lab or computational.
- **Skills**:

- Solid understanding of biostatistics and expertise/interest in single-cell data analyses (scRNA-seq/scATAC-seq/multiomics).

**WORKING CONDITIONS & ENTITLEMENTS**:

- **Working conditions**: Employed in compliance with Spanish legislation and regulations under a full-time contract. Employees receive the benefits of the Spanish Social Security system covering sickness, maternity/paternity leaves and injuries at work.
- **Training and Career**:Postdoctoral researchers joining IRB Barcelona gain access to the Institute’s advanced research training and career development opportunities, all within in a competitive international environment. Courses and workshops on themes of particular interest to postdocs are offered regularly by the Institute.
- **International environment**:Nearly 90 Postdoctoral researchers (more than a half non-Spanish nationals) are currently working at IRB Barcelona.
- **Estimated annual gross salary**: Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.
**HOW TO APPLY & SELECTION PROCESS**:

- **Number of positions available**: 1
- **Selection process**:

- **Pre-selection**: Will be based on CV, Motivation Letter, relevant work experience and soft-skills, management of research and innovation.