Job Detail

<p><b>ETH Zurich</b> is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. It is renowned for its excellent education, its cutting-edge fundamental research and its efforts to put new knowledge and innovations directly into practice.</p><p><b>Postdoctoral Research Assistant (100%)</b></p><p><b>The position</b> is offered in the <b>Computational Biology (Claassen) Group</b> in the <b>Institute of Molecular Systems Biology</b> at ETH Zürich, which focuses on concepts from statistics, machine learning and mathematical optimization to describe biological systems from single cell data.The position will involve research in the interdisciplinary consortium comprising researchers at ETH Zurich, University Zurich and the University Hospitals of Zurich. Research in this consortium builds on recent advances in immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients.</p><p>Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer patients and promises to be the biggest game changer in modern medicine. However, not all patients benefit from these groundbreaking treatments, and given the 3-4 months required to assess response, it is essential to personalize therapeutic options according to the individual patient.</p><p>We have assembled a unique and innovative consortium that integrates high-dimensional single-cell measurements of patient blood profiles, as well as the quantitative analysis of radiology images and deep learning approaches. We will use all these data to develop better predictive and prognostic biomarkers and treatment algorithms for cancer immunotherapy, with the goal of ultimately extending the benefit of the latest cancer drugs to as many patients as possible.</p><p>The candidate will apply and develop machine and deep learning approaches to identify therapy response associated cell subsets and radiological signatures, and further instruct in-depth validation experiments. Upon validation in independent patient cohorts, this information will then be used to stratify patients prior to immunotherapy to maximize the therapeutic impact and to minimize adverse effects, as well as to provide new personalized therapeutic targets for immune-intervention.</p><p><b>The ideal candidate</b> brings along a degree that demonstrates an interdisciplinary background in both life and formal sciences. While a background in cancer-/immune biology and single cell proteomic experiments is a plus, a solid background in mathematics, statistics and programming is required to carry out the planned algorithm developments and data analysis. A fluent level of English is mandatory. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with excellent communication skills who is capable of working in an interdisciplinary environment and can team up with scientists for experimental as well as computational analysis. The candidate should have a high degree of initiative. A competitive salary will be provided, which will be well matched relative to the cost of living in Zürich. We offer work in a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, providing the successful applicant with unique opportunities to develop a strong interdisciplinary portfolio in both experimental and computational biology.</p><p><b>We look forward</b> to receiving your online application including the following documents: letter of motivation, CV, degrees. Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.</p><p><b>For further information</b> about the Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, please visit our website: www.imsb.ethz.ch. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Dr. Manfred Claassen by email mclaassen@ethz.ch (no applications) or phone +41 44 633 0733.</p>