Postdoctoral Associate in Computational Multi-Omics for Immunotherapy

Description

Area:   Computational Oncology

Duration:   1 year, with extension up to 5 years

Start Date:   Position available immediately, start date negotiable

Salary:  Competitive and commensurate with experience

The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology  in the Cumming School of  Medicine at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar in Computational Multi-Omics for Immunotherapy.

Job Description:

The Morrissy Lab is seeking a highly motivated scientist with expertise in bioinformatics and data science to join our team as a Postdoctoral Associate focused on immunotherapy in high-risk solid tumors. The candidate will use state-of-the-art analytic approaches to investigate multi-omics data and derive an in-depth understanding of tumor ecosystem dynamics in clinical samples from immunotherapy trials ¿ including phenotypic and functional cell heterogeneity, tumor and microenvironment cell niches, and cellular crosstalk. Further, the candidate will have the opportunity to use machine learning/AI workflows to generate new binders for immunotherapies that will enter our pre-clinical testing pipeline. Data of primary focus include (1) cohorts of single-patient and phase I clinical trial participants treated with CAR T-cells (see for example Zemp at al, 2024, in revision at Nature; preprint on medRxiv), and (2) pre-clinical data from next-generation immune-therapeutics augmented through genome engineering and incorporation of novel binders. The candidate will employ innovative computational approaches to integrate single cell and spatial datasets from clinical samples with data from ongoing preclinical studies, further incorporating genomics and proteomics profiles from in-house or public repositories.
Job Responsibilities and Learning Objectives:

The Postdoctoral Associate will lead analyses of multi-omic datasets from immunotherapy-treated patient samples. They will use statistical and machine learning approaches to interpret data in the context of tumor evolution and therapy response, with the aims of understanding: (1) dynamics of tumor growth, relapse, and resistance to current immunotherapies, (2) CAR T-cell clonal
expansions and functional phenotypes throughout treatment, and (3) opportunities for novel development of next-generation CAR T products.

The Postdoctoral Associate will design and carry out computational experiments, mastering skills related to experimental design and data analysis for several technology platforms (single cell,
spatial, genomics, proteomics, structural biology). They will learn and master skills for integrative analyses, and attain depth of knowledge in cancer biology, cancer genomics and immunogenomics, and bioinformatics.

The candidate will lead writing of scientific manuscripts and contribute to training of more junior team members. They will develop skills in networking, mentorship, grant writing, and other areas of professional development that will boost the candidate¿s career trajectory.

Job Environment:

The Postdoctoral Associate will work in close collaboration with members of the Riddell Center for Cancer Immunotherapy (including clinician scientists, oncologists, synthetic immunologists, and experts in biobanking, disease modelling, and genome engineering), providing the candidate with opportunities to learn from a large network of local and international professionals. The Riddell Center, embedded in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, has a primary mission to develop innovative immunotherapies for cancer patients with high unmet needs. This is achieved within a fully integrated bench-to-bedside research ecosystem coupling cutting-edge discovery and innovation science with rapid translation into early phase clinical trials.

The University of Calgary is located in Canada¿s fourth largest and most enterprising city. Named a cultural capital of Canada and one of the best places to live in the world, Calgary is a city of leaders ¿ in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city, are an hour¿s drive to the majestic Rocky Mountains, and access the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.
Qualifications:

1. Individuals with a PhD degree in in bioinformatics, computational biology, biostatistics, or data science are encouraged to apply
2. A strong track record conducting computational data analyses (genomics/multi-omics) is required, as is proficiency in R or python
3. Experience working in a high-performance computing environment is highly preferred
4. Expertise with spatial transcriptomics or single cell data is highly valuable
5. Understanding of cancer biology or immunology is also an asset
6. Evidence of scientific accomplishment via peer-reviewed publications, and excellent verbal and written communication skills are required
7. Organizational and problem-solving skills are integral to the position

Application Details:

All qualified candidates who are recent PhD graduates, or received a PhD within the last 1-5 years, are encouraged to apply.
Interested and qualified applicants should send one PDF document that includes (1) a cover letter describing previous work, career goals, and potential start date, (2) CV, and (3) contact
information for three referees. Address emails to Dr. Morrissy at sorana.morrissy@ucalgary.ca, with the title ¿Application for Postdoctoral Associate: Computational Multi-Omics in 
Immunotherapy¿.
The terms and conditions of employment are covered under the UCalgary and PDAC Collective Agreement. To find out more about postdoctoral scholar program at the University of Calgary visit our Postdocs website.

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Postdoc Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world’s cleanest cities and has been named one of the world’s most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders’ in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

With a growing urban Indigenous population of approximately 50,000 people, there are several Indigenous organizations and many events and ceremonies taking place in the city throughout the year.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii’ taa’poh’to’p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The university’s commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments (oic@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).