IRB Barcelona is seeking a talented and highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Biomedical Genomics group (https://bbglab.irbbarcelona.org/ ), led by Dr. Nuria López-Bigas, to work on the Experimental Bioinformatics lab. The group has been awarded a Cancer Grand Challenge Project (PROMINENT https://cancergrandchallenges.org/teams/prominent), to study how cells can host oncogenic mutations while maintaining a normal phenotype and the mechanism of promotion that prompt these cells to grow and develop a tumour. The project involves the collaboration of several groups using different models (human samples, mouse, organoids) and techniques (duplex sequencing, spatial proteomics…) in collaboration with hospital environment and patient advocates. The experimental work at the Biomedical Genomics group includes the development of protocols for nuclei isolation and DNA extraction from histological samples, construction of libraries to detect very low frequency variants through deep sequencing, and adaptation of single cell techniques (10X, Singleron, SplitSeq…) to allow concomitant characterization of transcriptomics/epigenomics and genotyping. In this context, a fluid and constant communication and feedback both with the bioinformatics section of the group and our PROMINENT collaborators is paramount.

This contract is signed as part of the PROMINENT team supported by the Cancer Grand Challenges partnership funded by Cancer Research UK (CGCATF-2021/100008), the National Cancer Institute (1OT2CA278668-01) and Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer.


DUTIES:

The selected candidate will work in this environment to process frozen tissue samples from different organs, optimize conditions for single-cell analysis, try different platforms, and develop novel protocols to detect specific mutations at single-cell level. They will also participate in preparation of DNA and RNA libraries, including duplex sequencing and automation of bulk RNA extraction and library construction. They will interact with the bioinformaticians of the group, participating in the analysis of the results obtained, focusing on determination of clonal structure of the tissues analyzed and phenotype-genotype characterization. They will also participate in the global strategy of the PROMINENT project, interacting with our external collaborators and the rest of the lab members.


MUST HAVE - REQUIRED:

- Education: PhD in Biosciences or related areas.
- Experience: previous experience on molecular/cell biology, with emphasis on single-cell technologies. Handling and processing of human tissue samples. Familiarity with genomics,oncogenic processes, tumour microenvironment, DNA damage and mutation mechanisms. Desirable: Knowledge on immunology, spatial proteomics/transcriptomics, mouse or organoids systems. Basic bioinformatics and biological data processing knowledge.
- Skills:
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to work in a team with professionals with different profiles and backgrounds.
- Ability to collaborate with external colleagues from Research institutes and hospitals from Spain and abroad.
- Initiative and capacity to explore novel approaches.
- Highly motivated.
- Fluency in English.