Research Assistant position - Immunology/Cancer Immunotherapy lab (Beltra group)
(Part-time 50%)
The Department of Biomedicine is a joint effort between the University of Basel and the University Hospitals Basel. It unites basic and clinical scientists to advance our understanding of health and disease and to develop pioneering therapies benefiting the lives of patients in areas of unmet need. With more than 70 research groups and 900 employees, the Department of Biomedicine is the largest department at the University. We are located in the heart of Basel across 6 different locations. Be part of our future!
The research group led by Prof. Beltra is currently seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to join his group. The ideal candidate should be dynamic, well-organized, team-oriented, demonstrate a strong willingness to contribute to the development and success of the lab, and be proficient at coordinating both administrative tasks and bench work. The candidate will actively participate in the scientific projects developed in the lab and provide technical support and mentoring to trainees. This position will be based in the Department of Biomedicine (https://biomedizin.unibas.ch/en/) in Basel, Switzerland - one of the world's leading locations for life sciences, home to several companies and institutions.
Prof. Beltra's group is studying the factors governing T-cell differentiation programs in settings of viral infections and cancers. Notably, we are particularly interested in identifying new pathways regulating the process of CD8 T cell exhaustion, an hypofunctional program acquired by CD8 T cells exposed to persistent inflammation and antigenic stimulation. Indeed, CD8 T cell exhaustion represents a central limitation to current anti-cancer immunotherapies and strategies aiming at reversing this process are still lacking. By exploring the intimate mechanisms regulating CD8 T cell exhaustion, our group aims to identify innovative opportunities to reverse this process and unleash the full potential of current cancer immunotherapies (e.g. PD-1-based therapy). To this end, we have developed relevant murine models for the study of CD8 T cell-exhaustion and are leveraging cutting-edge technologies (single cell omics, ATACseq) and innovative immunological and genetic perturbation tools (Retroviruses, CRISPR), to identify and characterize new pathways of interest for a better therapeutic manipulation of exhausted CD8 T cells. Collectively, our group aims to lay the foundation for advancing next-generation cancer immunotherapies.
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The successful candidate will have the opportunity to join a young and dynamic group conducting high-level research in immunology. Located in the vibrant and culturally rich city of Basel, the Department of Biomedicine offers a dynamic cross-disciplinary and collaborative environment as well as competitive conditions and benefits for employees. The candidate will receive direct support from the lab manager and next-door collaborators to set his/her/their mark in the lab and will be actively involved in the lab projects. Within a friendly and team-work oriented environment, the candidate will be given important responsibilities related to lab management, respect of biosafety measures and mentoring of trainees and will also be given opportunities for further developing additional technical skills according to his/her/their interests (advanced flow cytometry, epigenomic, scRNAseq, etc..). Finally, our group prioritizes the careful consideration of human values, including diversity, equity, and inclusiveness, which ensures an integrative and enjoyable working environment. The position is currently part-time (50%) with the possibility of rapidly transitioning to full-time employment level upon provision of satisfactory results.
Application
Interested candidates should submit their application only the link to submit the following documents: CV, brief description of past accomplishments and interests (1 page max) and contact information for at least 1 reference who can provide a letter of recommendation upon request.
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