Postdoctoral Researcher - Breast Cancer

The University Health Network, where “above all else the needs of patients come first”, encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Michener Institute of Education. The breadth of research, the complexity of the cases treated, and the magnitude of its educational enterprise has made UHN a national and international resource for patient care, research and education. With a long tradition of ground breaking firsts and a purpose of “Transforming lives and communities through excellence in care, discovery and learning”, the University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest research teaching hospital, brings together over 16,000 employees, more than 1,200 physicians, 8,000+ students, and many volunteers. UHN is a caring, creative place where amazing people are amazing the world. 

Union: Non-Union 
Site: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre 
Department: Princess Margaret Research Institute 
Reports to: Principal Investigator 
Work Model: On-Site
Grade: V0:90
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Salary: $52,000 - $60,000 per annum: To commensurate with experience and consistent with UHN compensation policy
Shifts: Monday - Friday 
Status: Temporary Full Time (1 year contract, with option to renew)
Closing Date: December 30, 2024

Position Summary 

The Nguyen lab is looking for a motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on an exciting project in breast cancer. The lab is led by Dr. Long Nguyen, a clinician scientist and breast medical oncologist, and affiliated with both the Department of Medicine, and the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. The lab is located at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in the Research Tower within the MaRS building.

https://lvnguyenlab.ca/

Our research program is focused on breast cancer. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms that regulate cancer stem cell activity in human breast cancer, how these contribute to disease progression, relapse and treatment resistance, with the goal of designing new effective treatment strategies. We work with human cancer cell lines, patient-derived xenograft models and patient-derived organoid models. We apply advanced clonal tracking strategies in conjunction with single cell sequencing platforms to study the link between phenotype, genotype and function at clonal and single cell resolution.

The successful applicant will be designing and leading their own research project to identify cell states and molecular mechanisms that control cancer stem cells in human breast cancer models. This work is anticipated to involve single cell sequencing, flow cytometry, cell culture and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing on both patient-derived xenograft models and patient-derived organoid models. Collaboration with industry and international academic partners is a possibility depending on the success of the project.

Duties

• Design and execute a research project that aligns with the strategic objectives of the lab, with input from the PI
• Train and supervise students who will have their own research projects
• Work with scientific collaborators to execute the project
• With help from computational experts, perform sophisticated analysis of single cell sequencing datasets
• Write and review manuscripts for publication
• Write and review standard protocols for the lab
• Present at seminars and conferences
• Apply for external funding

• Recently graduated from a PhD program
• Publication(s) and manuscript(s) in preparation or completed, to be competitive for funding support
• Excellent critical thinking and analytical skills, along with a high degree of independence and flexibility to thrive in a rapidly evolving research environment
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills to work well with collaborators
• Excellent initiative and leadership skills
• Advanced/expert skills in cell and molecular biology (e.g. tissue culture, molecular cloning, lentiviral transduction, CRISPR)
• Moderate degree of experience with computational analysis in R and bash for analysis of large datasets from DNA/RNA sequencing, and single cell sequencing

Why join UHN?

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates.  Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.