Post-doctoral Fellowship in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy

Description:

Post-doctoral fellow positions in cancer immunology and immunotherapy are available at the Cellular Immunotherapy Program; Columbia Center for Translational Immunology (CCTI), Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), New York, NY. The candidate will work on basic and translational tumor immunology with focus on T cell biology and adoptive immunotherapy of cancer and viral diseases with the goal of developing new treatments for patients. The lab concentrates on various aspects of anti-tumor responses mediated by antigen-specific T cells with particular emphasis on biology of CD4⁺ T cells, Th polarization states (e.g. Th1, Tfh, Th9, Th17), memory formation, self-renewal, senescence and bioenergetics.

Job Duties:

The candidates will utilize advanced molecular biology techniques to improve the activity of immune cells and to investigate underlying mechanisms using realistic animal models and human samples. She/he will work on creation of potent T cell receptors (TCRs) and chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and manipulation of co-stimulatory and signaling molecules. She/he will be directly involved in translation of this work into the novel clinical trials of adoptive immunotherapy for common cancers, leukemia and refractory infections and virus-associated cancers (e.g. EBV/PTLD, Merkel Cell Carcinoma, HPV, HTLV1, Kaposi’s Sarcoma). The candidate will have the opportunity to develop GMP-compatible procedures and to participate in all bench-to-bedside activities of the lab. The candidates will be expected to develop and execute independent research plans that lead to peer-reviewed publications, to work cooperatively within an interdisciplinary group of research personnel and to demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills.

Qualifications:

1. Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (M.D., D.V.M., etc.)
2. A strong expertise in molecular biology techniques is required, including molecular cloning and genetic engineering, lentiviral and retroviral vector design, latest gene editing techniques, bioinformatics, systems biology, cellular bioenergetics, flow cytometry and animal models.
3. Background in T cell immunology, T cell receptor biology, tumor and infectious immunology, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant is desired. Strong candidates with experience in related cell biology fields (e.g. gene engineering, cloning, editing; stem cell and cancer biology/self-renewal, signaling, metabolism, genomics, epigenetics) will be also considered.
4. Interest in applying this interdisciplinary knowledge to tumor immunology, immunotherapy and T helper cell biology at the basic and translational level

To Apply:

Please e-mail your curriculum vitae, cover letter and the names/contact information for three references to Dr. Pawel Muranski: pjm2170@cumc.columbia.edu