The Stunnenberg Group has an opening for a postdoc KiKa research project that will focus on the generation and analysis of spatial and multi modal Omics atlases of pediatric high-grade glioma brain tumors and the immune cell micro-environment to unveil novel therapeutic immune targets.

Research project
The highly aggressive pediatric High-Grade Gliomas contribute substantially to mortality associated with pediatric brain tumors and novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to improve the outcome. Ongoing research has shown that Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas and the cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are highly heterogeneous. This ambitious project entails the generation of integrated multimodal single nuclei epigenome and transcriptome atlases of the tumor.  Spatial transcriptomic data will be generated to determine cell-cell interactions / communications and to infer (altered) regulatory pathways in the crosstalk between the cancer cells and the TME.

Tasks and responsibilities
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic post-doc, who excels in a stimulating, multi-disciplinary research environment. The candidate will perform single-cell biological assays including spatial transcriptomic to infer (dys)functional pathways and tumor-innate immune cell interactions.

Education and skills
We expect a highly motivated candidate with a PhD degree in molecular biology or equivalent. Excellent experimental skills and knowledge in immunology are required. Ample experience with bioinformatics analyses is essential. Experience with single-cell genomic assays/analysis is an advantage

Fixed-term contract: 1 year, with the intention to extend.

A full-time position (36 hours a week) initially for one year with the option of extension. You will be working in a very stimulating and cross-disciplinary research environment, combining cutting-edge research with state-of-the-art molecular technologies. Your gross monthly salary will depend on experience and background, starting in scale 60 with 8,33% gross monthly salary holiday allowance and 8,33 % end-of-year bonus. The Princess Máxima Center operates according to the collective labour agreement ‘Cao Algemene Ziekenhuizen’.

The Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology

The Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology is a research hospital concentrating healthcare, research and education concerning cancer in children in a single location in Utrecht. The institute aims to provide the highest level of care for all children with cancer and has the ambition to cure all children of cancer and significantly reduce unwanted side effects. The center brings together the best possible care and scientific research, creating a unique interdisciplinary institute for pediatric oncology in Europe.

The Stunnenberg team

The Stunnenberg team has a long-standing track record in applying genomic, epigenomic and bioinformatics approaches to decipher the (dys)regulated molecular mechanisms and pathways in health and disease.  We apply single cell technologies single-nuclei RNA-and ATAC-seq to unravel the tumor cell heterogeneity, clonal variation in tumor-initiating cells and to identify markers predictive of treatment (in)sensitivity or disease recurrence. Our expertise in single cell epigenome/transcriptome analysis of cancer and immune cell puts us in an ideal position to study the interplay between immune and cancer cells with a focus on pediatric solid tumors.