In this project you will investigate how chromosomal instability shapes karyotype landscapes and how these influence fitness and evolution of cancer cells and non-cancer cells. You will exploit state-of-the-art technologies including single cell DNA and RNA sequencing and engineer new CIN models using CRISPR genome engineering. For this Dutch Cancer Society-funded project, we are currently looking for a postdoctoral fellow with up to 3 years of funding. We welcome applications from bench biologists as well as bioinformaticians. In the Foijer lab, you will work in an international team consisting of 9 PhD students, 4 postdocs and 4 technicians. You will closely collaborate with a PhD student who already is appointed on this project.

- A PhD in bio-molecular sciences, medical biology, bioinformatics or a related area.
- In case you are a bench biologist, experience with primary cell cultures and (single cell) sequencing platforms is a big plus.
- In case you are a bioinformatician, experience with analyzing transcriptome and single cell sequencing data sets is a big plus.
- You have an inquisitive and independent research attitude.
- You have excellent communication skills and are a team player.
- You are fluent in spoken and written English and eager to join an international research environment.

The UMCG has a preventive Hepatitis B policy. The UMCG can provide you with the vaccination, should it be required for your position.

In case of specific professions a ‘Certificate of Good Conduct’ is required.

The position is for one year with a possibility for extension till a maximum of 3 years. Your salary will be a maximum of € 4.615,- gross per month (scale 10), depending on your qualifications and relevant experience, based on a full-time appointment. In addition, the UMCG will offer you 8% holiday pay, and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC). English: http://www.nfu.nl/english/about-the-nfu/

More information
For more information you may contact:
- Dr. F. Foijer, Team leader, ERIBA; email: f.foijer@umcg.nl (please do not use email address for applications)

Information about the Foijer lab: http://eriba.umcg.nl/people/floris-foijer/
Information about ERIBA: http://eriba.umcg.nl/
Information about Groningen: http://portal.groningen.nl/en

ERIBA

The European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging (ERIBA) is a research institute at the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), in Groningen, the Netherlands. The mission of ERIBA is to better understand the molecular mechanisms that result in age-related decline and age-related diseases. We aim to develop novel strategies to prevent or combat age-related diseases and to provide evidence-based recommendations for healthy ageing. The research teams are working with different model systems and technology platforms and share their knowledge and expertise to accelerate discoveries. ERIBA is part of the central UMCG campus in the vibrant university city Groningen in the north of the Netherlands.

The Foijer lab at ERIBA is currently looking for a postdoctoral fellow who will study how chromosomal instability shapes cancer cell evolution.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is the process through which cells gain and lose chromosomes and leads to cells with an abnormal DNA content, as state known as aneuploidy. As CIN causes genetic drift, it is a key contributor to the transformation process of healthy cells becoming cancer cells. CIN will therefore lead to differences between cells in a tumor, i.e. intratumor heterogeneity. However, while most cancers are indeed aneuploid, aneuploidy also significantly decreases cellular fitness of cells, presumably because most chromosome combinations are non-beneficial for (cancer) cells.