Ref. 23-2023 Staff Researcher (NGS)

Background:
The Prostate Cancer Translational Research Group at VHIO focuses on studying and testing hypothesis-based targeted therapies in prostate cancer and we are especially committed to applying the potential clinical value of our findings to clinical trials. Interrogation of clinical samples and correlative studies are central to our research strategy. More details on our research can be found in: https://vhio.net/pf/prostate-cancer-translational-research-group/

Description of the position:
The Staff Researcher for the NGS projects of the group should be a dynamic and team-oriented scientist with two main responsibilities:

1) Overseeing end-to-end the pursue of NGS experiments at our group, ensuring the highest standards in research (quality, ethics and reproducibility) and efficient use of resources
2) Lead the implementation of innovative NGS technologies that enable the launch of new projects in the group.

The Staff Researcher (SF) will report directly to the Group Leader (GL), and will be managing the wet- and dry-lab technicians involved in clinical samples processing/NGS assays.

Specific tasks and responsabilities are listed below:

1. Oversight and optimization of NGS projects

- To train and supervise the wet-laboratory technicians and students in NGS assays, to ensure the highest quality in delivering NGS assays in the group
- To participate in the design and planning of experiments using NGS to optimize projects.
- Coordinate and monitor the execution of NGS projects, with continuous follow up and reporting to the team leader.
- Be the lead contact for discussion with external partners involved in NGS projects (collaborators and service providers)
- Create, review and maintain documentation related to NGS projects in the lab, including: samples registry, electronic lab books, specific project templates...
- Occasionally, depending on workloads and project deadlines, the SF would provide hands-on support in wet-lab pipelines.

2. Implementation of new NGS technologies in the lab

- Develop & standardize new wet-lab pipelines prior to implementing them in research projects from the group. In particular, and funded by a recent award by the DoD CDMR Prostate Cancer Program for the 2023-2027 period, we are seeking to implement spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNAseq analysis workflows in the group.
- Work with the GL and postdoctoral researchers in the identification of the optimal technical solutions for new NGS project, being integral to the definition of scopes and objectives, conducting the necessary work to ensure technical feasibility and customized solutions when needed.