The Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory investigates non-genetic alterations promoting cancer development, with a particular focus on chromatin-based mechanisms operating in solid cancers. Through a combination of experimental and computational approaches, recent studies by our group have uncovered unexpected disease mechanisms, with direct implications for disease management (Torres et al., Science 2016, Loukas et al., Cancer Cell, 2023, Monserrat et al. Nature Cell Biology 2021). We have also used genomics and AI approaches to gain insights into CRISPR-mediated genome editing (Chakrabarti et al, Molecular Cell 2019). Our research aims to uncover new biology through the study of altered cellular states in cancer, as well as to identify associated vulnerabilities that can be exploited to interfere with the disease.
The group is currently operating across two sites, in Milan at the Department of Experimental Oncology at IEO Scaffidi Lab (IEO) and at the Francis Crick Institute in London, UK Scaffidi Lab (Crick).
We are looking for an enthusiastic computational biologist to join the group at IEO. The successful candidate will have the freedom and responsibility to lead an ambitious project that will help us understand:
(i) The basis of epigenetic robustness in normal cells and how this is compromised in cancer, with a focus of functional interactions across classes (i.e. histone modifiers, chromatin remodellers, DNA modifiers, etc.) within the epigenetic regulatory network (ERN).
(ii) Whether network-level features of the malignant ERN can predict epigenetic vulnerabilities.
The appointed postdoctoral fellow will both work side-by-side with experimentalists and mine publicly available datasets.
Key experience and competencies:
- Strong quantitative research background with a PhD in areas such as bioinformatics, computer science (with exposure to biology or genomics) or biology (molecular biology, genomics, with strong computational expertise)
- Experience with NGS-based datasets and/or systems biology
- Experience with machine learning and AI is a plus
- Demonstrated ability to perform high-quality research, and capacity to formulate hypotheses, test them and follow through, as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, with a least one first-author publication
- Creativity, excellent spoken and written English and genuine enthusiasm for science
Duration and salary: The position is initially for 3 years (1+1+1), with possible extensions.
A competitive salary will be offered depending on experience and qualifications.
The Institute: The European Institute of Oncology (IEO) is one of the leading research institutes in Italy. The Department of Experimental Oncology (DEO) hosts ~250 scientists working in 20 independent research groups, and is equipped with state-of-the-art Technology Units. DEO is located within a scientific campus together with two other partner institutions: the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). The IEO is one of the 13 members of the EU-LIFE alliance to promote excellence in life sciences in Europe. IEO is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity.