PhD position in systems biology of cancer metastasis; Zampieri Lab

The Department of Biomedicine is a joint effort between the University of Basel and the University Hospitals Basel. It unites basic and clinical scientists to advance our understanding of health and disease and to develop pioneering therapies benefiting the lives of patients in areas of unmet need.

With more than 70 research groups and 800 employees, the Department of Biomedicine is the largest department at the University. We are located in the heart of Basel at 6 different locations. Be part of our future!

The Zampieri group offers a PhD research opportunity in the context of systems pharmacology, computational biology and metabolic regulation. The mission of the group is to understand fundamental mechanisms regulating short- and long-term metabolic adaptation to genetic and chemical perturbations to find new and unconventional therapeutic strategies, ranging from antibacterial to anti-cancer drugs. To this end, we develop new ways to combine state‑of‑the‑art technologies in metabolomics with mathematical modeling.

The candidate will have the opportunity to exploit some of the cutting‑edge experimental and computational methods, comprising constraint‑based and kinetic modeling, statistical analysis of large datasets, high‑throughput metabolomics, time‑lapse microscopy, to investigate how to pharmacologically interfere with fundamental mechanisms in the regulation of cancer metabolism. Available resources at the department include a mouse facility, high‑end FACS, IT and microscopy facilities, the Life Sciences Training Facility (for gene expression and proteome profiling) and much more.

The candidate is expected to have a strong background and interest in quantitative disciplines, excellent teamwork and communication skills in English. The candidate will have the opportunity to develop the following project with a lot of academic freedom and strong support from senior members in the lab, and at the same time to play an active role in shaping and creating inspiring research and working environment.

In line with our and Uni Basel values https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). we are committed to sustain and promote an inclusive culture, ensure equal opportunities and value diversity and respect in our working and learning environment.

We are seeking a highly motivated doctoral researcher to investigate how metabolic programs enable cancer cells to metastasize and colonize distant tissues using mouse models, in close collaboration with the Bentires Lab at the University of Basel. This PhD project is fundamentally driven by hands‑on experimental in vivo mouse work; therefore, candidates must demonstrate prior practical experience with in vivo mouse experiments (e.g., tumor models, animal handling, injections, tissue collection, and monitoring).

Applications from candidates without documented hands‑on mouse experience will not be considered.

The project also includes high‑throughput metabolic profiling of genetic perturbations, computational data analysis, and next‑generation sequencing (NGS) of pooled CRISPR libraries, offering the opportunity to combine rigorous in vivo experimentation with systems‑level approaches.

• A strong interest in and commitment to animal experimentation is essential.
• Perform in vivo mouse studies using CRISPR‑engineered cancer cell lines.
• Design, perform, and analyse in vivo CRISPR pooled screens.
• Perform high throughput metabolomics profiling using a unique framework developed in the lab.
• Analyse and interpret metabolomics data to derive experimentally testable hypotheses.
• Support and prepare scientific reports and journal articles.

Essential:

• Master's degree in (Bio-)Physics, (Bio-)Engineering, Biological Sciences, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Systems Biology, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, or related fields.
• Hands‑on experience with mouse experiments gained in previous work (i.e. Master's thesis) and LTK‑1 certification.

Desirable:

• Experience with intracardiac injections and monitoring cancer cells using bioluminescence imaging techniques.
• Experience with basic statistical approaches.
• Mo…