The Khammash Lab at ETH Zurich is seeking a motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher to join our interdisciplinary team working at the interface of synthetic biology, control engineering, and immunoengineering. This position is part of our newly funded ERC Advanced Grant, which aims to develop genetically engineered feedback control circuits in human T cells to tackle challenging diseases. The successful candidate will work closely with a team of engineers and biologists to design, clone, and test synthetic circuits in primary human T cells, and help translate these circuits into functional cellular therapies.
Job descriptionJob responsibilities include engineering, transducing, and characterizing primary T cells with synthetic genetic circuits; optimizing and executing protocols for retroviral or lentiviral transduction, cell culture, and immune functional assays; supporting the development of in vivo models, such as adoptive T-cell transfer in mice, for preclinical testing of engineered circuits where relevant; collaborating closely with molecular biologists, computational modelers, and clinical and preclinical research partners; documenting results clearly and contributing to publications and presentations; and providing technical support and troubleshooting in T cell culture, molecular cloning, and viral production workflows.
Profile - PhD in bioengineering or related area.
- Strong practical background in primary T-cell isolation, culture, transduction (retroviral/lentiviral), and flow cytometry.
- Hands-on experience with viral vector production (e.g., lentivirus, retrovirus) and/or non-viral gene delivery tools such as PiggyBac or Sleeping Beauty is highly desirable.
- Experience with murine models, especially adoptive cell therapy, is a strong asset but not mandatory.
- Experience with engineering allogeneic T cell products is a strong plus.
- Excellent laboratory and organizational skills; ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
- Good communication skills in English.
In addition to the technical skills, the candidate is expected to have social and leadership competencies needed for a positive work culture including acting responsibly, nurturing well-being, driving innovation, living inclusivity, building bridges, and enabling people.
We offer - A stimulating, supportive, and international research environment at ETH Zurich.
- The opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the interface of control engineering, synthetic biology and medicine.
- Access to state-of-the-art facilities and world-class collaborators.
- Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
- We are actively committed to a sustainable and climate-neutral university
- You can expect numerous benefits , such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ , childcare and attractive pension benefits
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