PhD student in translational cancer research (PA2022/3442)

Description of the workplace
Catharina Hagerling’s research group at the Faculty of Medicine currently focuses on adult and pediatric metastatic cancer. The overarching objective of the research is to fulfill the clinical need for prognostic biomarkers for metastatic cancer and to identify novel therapeutic target molecules that could cure patients with metastases. The core of the research is experimental models, including patient-derived xenograft models and clinical material from patients with metastatic cancer. We have well-established collaborations with national and international collaborations.

What we offer
Lund University is a public authority, which means that you will have special benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension. We also have a flexitime agreement that creates good conditions for work/life balance. Read more on the University’s website about being a Lund University employee, Work at Lund University .

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student
The aim of this project is to better characterize clinical metastases from the four most common adult malignancies (breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma) and pediatric neuroblastoma (accounting for ≈15% of pediatric cancer deaths).

The methods will include handling patient cohorts and databases, bioinformatics, and working at the research laboratory with various experimental methods. Preferentially the candidate should have a degree in medicine so that he/she can work with extracting data from medical records and evaluate outcome measures in patients with cancer. Laboratory work will be a large part of the project. Adequate supervision and introduction will be provided. The project is of clinical and translational character.

The Ph.D. student will take part in all research-related activities such as group meetings, department seminars, and national/international meetings, as well as standard laboratory routines of the group. Finally, the Ph.D. student will work to achieve the course requirements of the Ph.D. program.

The project is now designed as a 100 % Ph.D. position for four years. The first research period should be performed as full-time Ph.D. studies, but thereafter we are open to solutions involving part-time clinical work.

Qualifications
The requirements for the position are:

• Preferably a degree in medicine; otherwise, a master’s degree in biomedicine or molecular medicine.
• Documented experience in bioinformatics
• Excellent knowledge of English
• Good analytical ability, drive, and a good ability to collaborate

Great emphasis will be placed on personal characteristics. The assignments require that you have the ability to work independently as well as the ability to work well with others in the research group and researchers outside the subject area.

Additional qualifications for the position are:

• Experience in single-cell and cancer research
• Previous experience with various laboratory techniques.

Research expertise is the foremost criterion for employment. The evaluation of applicants will consider their research profile, experience, and knowledge.

Further information
Eligibility
Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.

How to apply
You apply for the position via the University’s recruitment system. The application is to include a personal letter describing how you meet the qualification requirements and why you are interested in the position. The application is also to include a CV with a list of publications, a general description of previous research work, a copy of your doctoral degree and any other documents to which you wish to draw attention (copies of degree certificates, grade transcripts, details of referees, letters of recommendation, etc.)