Postdoctoral position Full-time

Postdoctoral Position

The Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University has a broad research profile with strong research groups focusing on cancer, genetic and autoimmune diseases. A fundamental idea at the department is to stimulate translational research and thereby promote closer interactions between medical research and health care. Research is presently organized in six research programs: Cancer Precision Medicine, Cancer Immunotherapy, Genomics and Neurobiology, Molecular Tools and Functional Genomics, Neuro-Oncology and Neurodegeneration and Vascular Biology. Departmental activities are also integrated with the units for Oncology, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Immunology, Clinical Pathology, and Hospital Physics at Uppsala University Hospital. The department has teaching assignments in several education programs, including Master Programs, at the Faculty of Medicine. The department has a yearly turnover of around SEK 550 million, out of which about two thirds derive from external funding. IGP has approximately 400 employees, out of which 100 are PhD-students, and there are in total more than 850 affiliated staff members.

The postdoc will develop innovative and genetically defined leukemia cell-line models to investigate how specific TP53 alterations influence cellular behavior and clinically relevant phenotypes. The project will integrate genome editing, functional cancer biology, drug-response profiling, high-content imaging and quantitative data analysis.

Main tasks:

• Generate isogenic leukemia cell-line models carrying clinically relevant TP53 alterations using CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing.
• Establish models representing distinct allelic states, including wild-type, heterozygous mutation, homozygous mutation, loss of heterozygosity, and TP53-null states.
• Define the effect of TP53 genotype on proliferation, competitive fitness, cell-cycle control, apoptosis, senescence-like phenotypes, DNA-damage responses, genomic stability, and stress adaptation.
• Assess how TP53 alterations influence sensitivity and resistance to clinically relevant therapies, including chemotherapy, hypomethylating agents, venetoclax-based combinations, DNA-damaging agents, irradiation, and emerging targeted treatments.
• Contribute to method development for applying Cell Painting to suspension cells and to machine-learning models for TP53 variant classification.

Extent of tasks Roughly 70–80% experimental/wet-lab work, 20–30% data analysis, modelling, and manuscript preparation; the exact balance can be adapted to the candidate's profile and project needs.

Supervision The postdoc will be scientifically supervised by the PI(s) of the leukemia/TP53 program and will collaborate closely with senior bioinformaticians, clinicians, and molecular geneticists; they may co-supervise master's/PhD students in day-to-day lab and analysis work.

Specific responsibilities/decision-making powers:

• Lead planning of experiments and analyses within the TP53 work package, including selection of variants, cell models, and compound conditions.
• Make independent decisions on optimization of protocols, feature selection, and computational workflows, in consultation with the PI.
• Ensure data quality control, documentation, and reproducibility, and take a leading role in drafting manuscripts, presentations, and method descriptions for this project.

Requirements:

• A PhD in molecular biology, cell biology, cancer biology, hematology, genetics, genomics, or a related discipline. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Priority will be given to applicants who have completed their degree no more than three years before the deadline for applications. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.
• Demonstrated experience with mammalian cell culture, preferably including hematopoietic or leukemia models and functional assays (drug response, apoptosis, DNA damage, etc.).
• Familiarity with NGS-based genomics or transcriptomics (variant calling, RNA-seq, single-cell or bulk) and integration of multi-omics data is highly desirable.
• Excellent publication record relative to career stage, with at least one first-author paper involving quantitative or image-based analysis.
• Strong problem-solving skills, ability to work independently, and motivation to drive a multidisciplinary project at the interface of leukemia biology and computational analysis.
• Collaborative mindset, good communication skills, and willingness to work closely with wet-lab, clinical, and computational partners.
• High degree of rigor, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for developing new analytical methods and translating findings toward precision medicine in leukemia.

Additional qualifications:

• Strong knowledge of cancer biology, preferably including leukemia, hematopoiesis, p53 biology, or functional genomics.
• Practical experience with CRISPR/Cas genome editing or related genetic-engineering technologies.
• Experience with functional assays such as viability assays, proliferation assays, apoptosis assays, cell-cycle analyses, DNA-damage assays, or drug-response experiments.

About the employment:

The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement with the possibility of 1 year extension. Full time position. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Thierry Soussi, thierry.soussi@igp.uu.se, Panagiotis Baliakas, panagiotis.baliakas@igp.uu.se

Please submit your application by 7 October 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2523.