Postdoc – cell and gene therapy expert

We offer a position for a postdoc – Cell Therapy Expert at the Innovation Center for Advanced Therapies (ICAT) within the UMC Utrecht.

ICAT offers an infrastructure for collaboration with fundamental and translational researchers, GMP experts, analysts and clinicians from different disciplines in order to translated new innovative medicines more quickly into a production process that is suitable for clinical testing. Your role is to plan and execute activities for early process development for cell and gene therapy products towards GMP-complaint process in the GMP production facility. As a cell therapy expert you will be involved in a broad range of tasks such as:

• Provide hands-on work in the laboratory to set up complex cell therapy production processes and prepare them for the production under GMP.
• Support the reviewing and writing of (GMP) protocols, e.g. SOPs and Investigational Medicinal Product Dossiers (IMPDs).
• Act as subject matter expert in cell- and gene therapy.
• Analyse data and prepare reports.
• Contribute to the development and validation of Quality Control assays.

• A PhD in a relevant field (life sciences/ pharmacy) and affinity cell and gene therapy and/or regenerative medicine or;
• An MSc in a relevant field and minimum of 5 years relevant work experience with complex cell therapy products, such as CAR/TCR T cells, iPSCs, NK cells or DCs.
• Hands on experience with and deep knowledge of GMP standards.
• Hands on experience with platforms, processes and systems used in the cell and gene therapy field.
• Experience in writing GMP documents, including risk assessments, qualification/validation protocols and reports of production process, analytical methods, equipment and facility to ensure compliance with applicable guidelines and procedures.
• Affinity with working in a cleanroom is a plus.
• The candidate should be self-motivated, accountable, inquisitive, and have excellent organization and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Possess the ability to present technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Professional proficiency in English (written and spoken) is a requirement.
• Ability to think analytically, problem-solving skills, drive to succeed.
• You enjoy working in an innovation driven, highly collaborative and fast paced environment.
• You should be able to work independently as well as collaborate with other team members with interdisciplinary background and international environment; you have essential social skills for fruitful interactions.
• You must be available fulltime.

By questions, please only reach out via e-mail since we do not offer complete information by phone.

The maximum salary for this position (36 - 36 hours) is € 5.292,00 gross per month based on full-time employment.

In addition, we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

The position is embedded within the UMC Utrecht at the Innovation Center for Advanced Therapies-GMP Simulator facility. The work will be carried out in collaboration with the ATMP development group of dr Trudy Straetemans within the research group of dr Zsolt Sebestyen and Jurgen Kuball embedded in the Tumor Immunology section of the Center for Translational Immunology. It focuses on the development of immune interventions against cancer using immune cells and their receptors. A unique research pipeline from fundamental to translational and clinical research has been established. Due to the nature of the fundings, you are also expected to be part of the consortiums where the grant came from.