Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Biology – Target Discovery – Proteomics

Job Category
Faculty Non Bargaining

Job Title
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Biology – Target Discovery – Proteomics

Department
Lange Laboratory Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty of Medicine (Philipp Lange)

Posting End Date
October 31, 2022

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow in Cancer Biology – Cell Surface Target Discovery – Proteomics (Lange Lab)

This position is located within a health-care facility. Therefore, this position requires successful verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by the provincial health mandate.

Job Summary:

Dr. Philipp Lange, Canada Research Chair in Translational Proteomics of Pediatric Malignancies and his team at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, seek an outstanding candidate with a recent PhD (<2years) and strong publication record with an exceptional passion to advance the fundamental understanding of proteome modulation in childhood cancer.

We are looking for a team member to spearhead and shape the project over a period of 3-5 years and provide a very dynamic yet supportive interdisciplinary environment with dedicated mentoring and excellent opportunities for continued career development.

Organizational Status:

The successful candidate will report directly to Dr. Philipp Lange, the principal investigator, and will work in a strongly collaborative and collegial fashion with cross-functional project team members to meet research goals and objectives.

Work Performed:

You will lead a CIHR-funded project on the characterization and targeting of a new class of highly specific cell surface epitopes in childhood cancer. You will use and advance new mass spectrometry approaches developed by our group to study the cell surface of primary pediatric cancer specimens and model systems and will use and advance cell biological and biochemical approaches to develop new modes to target and monitor malignant cells. You will develop leads for target-specific binding molecules and elucidate mechanisms underlying the occurrence of theragnostic targets. You will also have the opportunity to supervise graduate and undergraduate students, gain leadership experience in collaborative projects and contribute to grant applications. If of interest we will work with you in the latter half of your fellowship to develop a secondary project that provides preliminary data for your first independent position and grant.

Consequence of Error:

The successful applicant is expected to exercise a considerable amount of judgment, responsibility, and initiative in determining work procedures and methods. They must carefully observe and evaluate their work. All works are subject to assessment by Dr. Lange. Consistent poor judgment decisions or errors can result in data loss or incorrect data interpretation, retraction of manuscripts, invalidation of subsequent studies and expensive experiments with implications and current and future funding.

Supervision Received:

You are expected to work independently under the direction of Dr. Lange, who will be available to provide consultation on unusual problems and project developments. Regularly scheduled meetings with Dr. Lange allow for ongoing targeted mentoring and career development.

Supervision Given:

You will assist with training graduate students and junior lab staff; provide input on staff/co-op student selection and performance evaluation. If of interest you can gain significant personnel and team management experience under the mentorship of Dr. Lange.

Qualifications:

• PhD in cancer biology, cancer proteomics or related area and strong publication record
• Fluent in written and spoken English and demonstrated excellence in scientific writing
• Demonstrated exceptional communication and analytical skills
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in functional cell assays and protein biochemistry
• Strong statistical foundation and expertise in R or python for data analysis
• Expertise in proteolytic processes and protease biology is an asset
• Hands-on expertise in CRISPER genome editing, mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, processing of small sample amounts / single cell proteomics, cell surface characterization and secretome characterization are important assets.

Research Team & Environment: Located at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHRI), the leading pediatric research center in Western Canada, you will be embedded in the highly innovative and interdisciplinary research environment spanning BC Children’s Hospital, UBC and BC Cancer. Vancouver repeatedly ranks among the most livable places in the world and combines excellence in research with high quality of life. Excellent opportunities for personal and professional development are provided.

You will be part of a dynamic team of experimental and computational scientists and embedded in the local BRAvE and national PROFYLE pediatric precision oncology initiatives, where they will work with basic scientists, pathologists, analysts and clinicians. You will have direct access to state-of-the-art mass-spectrometry, cell culturing and chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) modelling facilities as well as next-generation sequencing, flow cytometry, imaging and compute infrastructure.

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC is a hybrid, academically intensive Department within the UBC Faculty of Medicine whose activities span a broad spectrum of teaching, research, and academic service, often performed in the milieu of clinical practice, and are ultimately devoted to improving the care, treatment, and well-being of patients.  The Department offers academic degrees at the bachelor’s (Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLSc)) and graduate (MSc, PhD) levels with the graduate program, one of the largest in the Faculty of Medicine, which has been recognized by UBC for its quality. The Department plays a major role in the MD undergraduate program and offers an accredited residency-training program. Faculty members participate across a spectrum of research from basic investigative to translational to clinical applied research and are recognized locally, nationally and internationally for their excellence. 

How to apply:

Review of applications will begin October 1, 2022. This position will remain open until filled and commence as soon as possible. Please send a cover letter expressing your long-term research vision, career goals and fit for the position (detailing how you meet the requirements). PDF copies of your most impactful papers (max 3, submitted manuscripts OK) as well as your CV and contacts (full address, email and phone number) for three references to [email protected] . Please send your documents in one PDF file. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We offer a high degree of flexibility, an attractive compensation package including health benefits, partial coverage for the cost of relocation and 4 weeks of vacation. We provide targeted mentoring and ongoing professional development opportunities to optimally support you in your preparation for the next step in your career in industry, academia or the public sector.