Postdoctoral Research Fellow

» Your tasks

For a project within the SFB1399 “Mechanisms of Drug Sensitivity and Resistance in Small Cell Lung Cancer” we aim to combine both experimental and computational approaches to understand the impact of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on small cell lung cancer tumor populations and the accompanying cellular response. We are seeking applications by highly motivated candidates who are capable to combine experimental work and bioinformatic data analysis to understand how small cell lung cancer tumors evolve and develop resistance to therapy. You will be responsible for performing controlled longitudinal experiments in cell lines, use state-of-the art bioinformatic tools to quantify the effect of chemoradiotherapy on the DNA, correlate its activity to tumor population dynamics and explore the accompanying cellular response at the single cell level. The results will be interpreted in the context of available patient data from the clinic with the aim to disentangle the molecular and cellular processes leading to refractory disease. Furthermore, you will work in collaboration with clinicians, biologists and physicists to contribute to the development of computational tools to study the mutational processes shaping the evolving cancer genomes.

If we have awakened your curiosity and think you could be the right candidate for this job, please submit your application including a detailed CV, a list of publications, the contact of two reference persons and a brief statement of research interests.

» Your Profile

You must hold a PhD in biology, biochemistry, bioinformatic or a related field Experience in LINUX/UNIX, in scripting and or software development (e.g., R, Python, C/C++) and knowledge of statistical methods are required Previous experience with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data will be considered a plus Previous wet lab experience is highly desired We expect a highly motivated candidate with good communication skills, proactive, resilient, independent and solution-oriented

» Our Offer

At the Department of Translational Genomics you will find an international research environment. We offer a vibrant and very friendly working environment, with intensive mentoring and interaction with global leaders both from academia and industry. In addition, the highly collaborative research environment in Cologne provides us with access to the state-of-art core facilities, including genomics, proteomics and imaging.

» Your future with us

Working at the University Hospital Cologne and the Medical Faculty means helping to shape the future - the future of medicine, of patients and, of course, your own future. You benefit from 59 clinics and institutes as well as numerous other departments and facilities and more than 10,000 jobs. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne and the University Hospital Cologne assume important social tasks in research, teaching and patient care. A close network with many university and non-university partners guarantees an internationally successful science and the excellent education of our students.

» Your future in detail

Cartolano’s group is a newly established bioinformatic research group in the at the University of Cologne (Director: Professor Roman Thomas). We have established several collaborations both within the Department (e.g., Thomas, George and Peifer Lab) and within the Cologne Campus (e.g. Jachimowicz Lab at the MPI). Dr. Maria Cartolano research has focused on identifying somatic alterations underlying tumorigenesis, and the mutational processes shaping tumor genomes in the context of tumor evolution (Cartolano et al. Scientific Reports 2020, Ackermann and Cartolano et al. Science 2018 ). As a part of the second phase of the SFB 1399, this specific project aims to combine in silico and in vivo work to zoom in the mechanisms underlying the evolution of tumors resilient to therapy in small cell lung cancer. We are offering a full-time position to highly motivated candidates.

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