PhD Position in Translational Tumor Immunology

About the role

The University Hospital Basel is offering a one-year PhD position in translational tumor immunology, with the option to extend. The project investigates mechanisms of response and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in solid tumors, focusing on head and neck and esophagogastric cancers. It combines spatial profiling, tissue-based immune profiling and patient-derived tumor models, with active involvement in planning, analysis and publication.

Key responsibilities

• Investigate mechanisms of response and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in solid tumors, with a focus on head and neck and esophagogastric cancers.
• Characterize the tumor immune microenvironment using spatial proteomics, multiplex imaging and spatial transcriptomics.
• Integrate tissue-based immune profiles with blood-based biomarkers, immune repertoires and clinical outcomes to identify markers for patient stratification and treatment response.
• Establish patient-derived 3D tumor models and explants and perform functional tumor-immune cell experiments to validate resistance mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.
• Take an active role in planning and running the project, analyzing complex datasets, collaborating with clinical and scientific partners and presenting and publishing results.

Required profile

• Master's degree in biology, biomedical sciences, biochemistry, molecular medicine, immunology, cancer biology or a related life science.
• Strong interest in translational cancer research, tumor immunology and modern spatial profiling technologies.
• Solid hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture and molecular or cellular biology, ideally in tumor biology.
• Initiative, scientific curiosity and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary, international setting.
• Excellent English; experience with primary human samples, flow cytometry, spatial technologies, 3D models, functional assays or quantitative data analysis with R/Python is an advantage.

What we offer

• Attractive pay and excellent social benefits, with discounts in shopping, sport and leisure.
• Relocation and housing support.
• 25 vacation days plus 5 flexible free days.
• Support for further education, career planning and cross-disciplinary training.
• Free sports and fitness program and extensive childcare options.
• Access to state-of-the-art technologies for spatial profiling, flow cytometry, sequencing and functional tumor models, close collaboration with physicians and bioinformaticians, and substantial opportunities for scientific development.