PhD Student in Translational Cancer Research, SNSF project

PhD Student in Translational Cancer Research, SNSF project

UniBE is interconnected.
With us, you're part of an international community and benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Establish, characterise and maintain patient-derived cancer cell lines and 3D organoids, including models derived prospectively from fresh tumour biopsies
• Perform in vitro efficacy studies and mechanistic validation experiments, using drug response, clonogenic growth and live-cell imaging assays
• Design and carry out genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 synthetic lethality screens and validate the resulting druggable hits
• Analyse screening and sequencing data using established bioinformatics pipelines (MAGeCK RRA/MLE, R)
• Perform confocal and multiplexed immunofluorescence microscopy
• Contribute to in vivo xenograft experiments and to the histological and computational pathology characterisation of explanted tumours
• Present results at national and international conferences and prepare first-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals
• Participate in the doctoral programme of the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences

• Master's degree (MSc) in Molecular Life Sciences (Cell and Molecular Biology or Biochemistry/Chemical Biology), Biomedical Sciences, molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology or a related field, completed by the starting date, ideally with at least one full year lab experience.
• Solid practical experience in mammalian cell culture (experience with 3D organoids is an advantage)
• Experience in standard molecular biology and imaging techniques (western blotting, immunofluorescence, qPCR, optical microscopy). Experience with confocal microscopy is an advantage
• Basic skills in data analysis and statistics; familiarity with GraphPad or R is an advantage
• Strong motivation for translational cancer research and genuine interest in bridging laboratory work and clinical questions
• Ability to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary and multicentric team
• Excellent command of English, written and spoken

Strong research infrastructure and international networkTeam-oriented workMeaningful work and fair compensationAccess to cutting-edge technology and innovationPlease submit your application with the usual documents via the online “Apply” button / as a PDF by email by 15.11.2026 to dilara.akhoundovasanoyan@unibe.ch01.02.2027 or by agreementFull-time, Half-time possibleTemporaryEmployeeUniversitydilara.akhoundovasanoyan@unibe.ch