PhD student position cancer immunology in Yumeng Mao’s research group - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology Uppsala University (www.igp.uu.se) is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 45,000 students, more than 7,000 employees and a turnover of around SEK 7 billion. The Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University (www.igp.uu.se) has a broad research profile with strong research groups focused on cancer, autoimmune and genetic diseases. A fundamental idea at the department is to stimulate translational research and thereby closer interactions between medical research and health care. Research is presently conducted in the following areas: medical and clinical genetics, clinical immunology, pathology, neuro-oncology, vascular biology, radiation science and molecular tools. Department activities are also integrated with the units for Oncology, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Immunology, Clinical Pathology, and Hospital Physics at Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala. The department has teaching assignments in several education programmes, including Master Programmes, at the Faculty of Medicine, and in a number of educations at the Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology. The department has a yearly turnover of around SEK 420 million, out of which more than half is made up of external funding. The staff amounts to approximately 345 employees, out of which 100 are PhD-students, and there are in total more than 700 affiliated people.

Duties/Project description: Our research group is jointly supported by SciLifeLab and Uppsala University. We aim to dissect the negative immune regulatory network in immune cells and cancer cells to uncover novel mechanisms that could broaden the clinical benefits of cancer immunotherapy. We will achieve this by combining our pre-clinical research expertise in cancer immunology with the pioneering technology platforms at the SciLifeLab. A strong technical focus will be developing experimental tools using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Moreover, we will maintain close partnership with oncologists and industry collaborators in order to evaluate the clinical relevance and druggability of our research findings. In particular, we have a special interest in cancer types where immunotherapy is less explored, e.g. childhood solid cancers. For more information, please see https://www.scilifelab.se/researchers/yumeng-mao/.

The successful candidate will devote most of the time towards his/her research level education. Other service activities within the department, e.g. education and administrative work can be included within the framework of the employment (maximum 20%). The position will be extended with the time devoted to teaching to allow four years of full-time graduate studies.

Requirements: 

• A Master’s degree in relevant field, such as biomedicine, molecular medicine, immunology, cancer biology or other related areas. Previous experience in cancer immunology, particular immune checkpoints is a plus.
• Passionate and dedicated in pursuing a scientific career and show an interest in translational cancer immunology.
• Solid experimental background including in vitro cell-based assays, western blotting, qPCR, ELISA.
• Experienced in using advanced multi-colour (>10 parameters) flow cytometry to analyze immune cell phenotype and functions, e.g. surface markers, intracellular proteins and cytokines.
• In-depth experience in isolating and handling primary immune cells from human blood and mouse models and conducting functional in vitro assays, e.g. cell proliferation, cancer/immune co-cultures, cytokine release.
• Hands-on experiences in studying signalling pathways in primary immune cells and cancer cells using western blotting or related techniques.
• Experimental experience using CRISPR/Cas9 for protein deletion in cells is highly valued.
• Proficient in using data analysis software such as Graphpad Prism, FlowJo, etc.
• Proficiency in conducting scientific discussions in English is a must.
• Previous experience in using co-culture assays with immune and cancer cells is considered a strong merit.
• Experimental experience using CRISPR/Cas9 for protein deletion in cells is highly valued.

Information about education at the postgraduate level, admission requirements and admission decisions can be found at https://mp.uu.se/web/info/forska/forskarutbildning/medicin-och-farmaci/.

Selection of applicants will be done by the future tutor for the selected student in consultation with the postgraduate study group of the Department. The Postgraduate Programmes Committee at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine will formally approve the student's admission.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students.

Starting date: 09-01-2021 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7.

Scope of employment: 100 %

For further information about the position please contact: Yumeng Mao, yumeng.mao@igp.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 14 June 2021, UFV-PA 2021/1926.

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