Staff Scientist - Precision Oncology of Gastrointestinal Cancers

About City of Hope
City of Hope, an innovative biomedical research, treatment and educational institution with over 6000 employees, is dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening diseases and guided by a compassionate, patient-centered philosophy. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Duarte, California, City of Hope is a remarkable non-profit institution, where compassion and advanced care go hand-in-hand with excellence in clinical and scientific research. City of Hope is a National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers that develops and institutes standards of care for cancer treatment.

Position Summary
A Staff Scientist position is available in Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope. The Staff Scientist series is designed for career research professionals whose primary function is to support the research infrastructure and activities of the institution. Staff Scientists will bring special skills, knowledge and experience to research programs or institutional core laboratories. Individuals appointed as staff scientists will receive a one-year fixed-term contract.
We are seeking a talented and motivated Staff Scientist to become a part of the multidisciplinary research team headed by Dr. Ajay Goel, who recently relocated to the City of Hope to establish a new department on Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics. His research is highly focused on understanding the interplay between genetic and epigenetic alterations in colorectal, pancreatic, gastric and esophageal cancers. One of the primary translational research goals is to develop novel diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers for various gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, as well as study immune regulation and identify novel therapeutic targets (e.g. targeted therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors) for various GI malignancies. Our multidisciplinary research group comprises of basic biologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons, oncologists and bioinformaticians, undertaking a number of collaborative projects involving large international consortia.
Key Responsibilities include:
The projects will involve any/all of the following research focuses:

• Exploration of cell-free and circulating DNA-based (cf/ct-DNA), liquid biopsy biomarkers for the early-detection of gastrointestinal cancers (including colorectal, pancreatic, gastric, liver and esophageal).
• Establish innovative methodologies involving non-coding RNAs-based biomarkers for the earlier diagnosis, prognosis and predictive responses to chemotherapy in gastrointestinal neoplasia.
• Study the role of aberrant DNA methylation, histone modifications and non- coding RNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, snoRNAs, piRNAs etc.) in various GI malignancies.
• Understanding the genetic basis of early-onset and familial/hereditary colorectal cancers

• Molecular mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis, the role of stem cells in the context of chemo resistance chemo-sensitization in cancer cells.
• The role of tumor microenvironment, immune regulation and identification of various targeted therapies (e.g. immune checkpoint inhibitors) in GI cancers.
• The role of exosomes as biological determinants, and exosomal cargo as disease biomarkers
• Gut microbiome and its influence in gastrointestinal cancers

Qualifications
Basic education, experience and skills required for consideration:

• PhD and/or MD/PhD
• Evidence of first or senior author peer-reviewed publications
• Prior molecular, cancer biology and/or translational research experience and evidence of project development
• Prior evidence for any obtaining any grant funding and plans for seeking extramural grant funding in next 1-3 years

Preferred education, experience and skills:

• Relevant experience in cancer genetics and epigenetics
• Prior hands-on experience in developing cell-free DNA and RNA-based, liquid biopsy assays in cancers.
• Preference will be given to individuals who had previous experience with microarray and next generation sequencing-based platforms (MiSeq, HiSeq, NovaSeq, RRBS, ChIP-Seq, MeDip etc.).
• Strong background in biochemistry and/or molecular biology, as well as experience in identification and development of therapeutic targets in cancer.
• Desire to grow and develop skills in order to become an independent Investigator
• Possess excellent communication and writing skills
• Enthusiastic and highly motivated
• Possess good organizational skills
• Able to work independently and in a team environment
• Able to supervise Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Associates as relevant for research activities
• Able to contribute new ideas, actively engage in scientific discussion, and provide expertise to inform discussion of new concepts

Additional Information:
For more information about the groundbreaking research taking place in the Ajay Goel, Ph.D lab, please visit www.cityofhope.org/mdet .
City of Hope is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability.
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