Job Category

Job Title

Department

Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Salary range: $65,000 - 75,000 per annum

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. ​​​​​​

Endometriosis Oncogenomics and Pathology Research Lab (EDGE Research) at the University of British Columbia is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to study the process driving malignant transformation of endometriosis to clear cell and/or endometrioid ovarian carcinomas. This work will form the basis of prevention, treatment, and etiological understanding of disease.

The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team integrating molecular biology, genomics, epigenomics, microbiome science, proteomics, and clinical research. The position will focus on the development and evaluation of low-input whole genome sequencing and study of genotoxic stress markers.

This project is funded through a four-year US Ovarian Cancer Research Program grant. This is an on-site position located at Vancouver Hospital Campus.

Key Responsibilities

·       Project management and co-ordination of incoming specimen including maintaining ethics, operational approvals, and relationships with contributing hospitals.

·       Support assay development and validation activities involving cellular and genotoxic stress, predominantly IHC/IF based assays.

·       Lead review and enrichment (laser capture) of endometriosis, cancer, and control tissues for whole genome sequencing including co-ordination of external sequencing contracts and bioinformatics.

·       Contribute to study design, data interpretation, quality control, and experimental troubleshooting.

·       Lead genomic analysis and integration of multi-omics data including microbiome and cell stress phenotypes.

·       Lead collaboration with spatial transcriptomics and functional genomics team (external). Assist with the development and optimization of laboratory and analytical workflows.

·       Contribute to grant applications, manuscripts, reports, and presentations, with strong scientific writing skills and attention to reproducibility.

·       Collaborate with clinicians, laboratory scientists, trainees, and external partners. This will include supervision, training and recruitment of junior trainees (e.g. undergraduate, and graduate students involved with aspects of the project)

Required Qualifications

·       PhD in molecular biology, translational research, genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, cancer biology, reproductive biology, or a related field. Experience in gynecologic cancer genomics is an asset.

·       Experience with at whole genome next-generation sequencing analysis and related approaches is needed.

·       Strong understanding of molecular pathology and biomarker development.

·       Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

·       Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and work independently.

·       Demonstrated commitment to research reproducibility and rigorous scientific practices.

·       Excellent written communication skills, including experience assisting with grant writing, manuscripts, and scientific reports.

Preferred Qualifications

·       Experience working with clinical specimens.

·       Experience integrating multiple data types within translational research projects.

·       Familiarity with women's health, reproductive biology, gynecologic cancers, and microbiome research.

·       Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.

·       Flexible to travel to international conferences and collaborating sites in Canada, the US, and overseas.

·       Eligibility for post-doctoral funding from MITACS (Elevate) and/or Canada Postdoctoral Research Award program (CPRA)

The ideal candidate is scientifically rigorous, highly organized, adaptable, and excited to work at the interface of molecular biology, translational medicine, and biomarker development.

Salary range is commensurate to experience and is expected to be between $65,000 - 75,000 per annum plus benefits including extended health. Candidates with external funding will be eligible for incentive-award/top up funding.

Apply through workday only:

·       Provide a cover letter (2-page maximum) outlining your interest, potential to contribute, and qualifications/eligibility aligned to the advert above.

·       A full CV with publications/contributions to scientific advancement

·       Transcripts from most recent (terminal) degree.

·       Names and contact details for three professional references

Only qualified candidates will be contacted, and interviews will proceed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence, and we welcome applications from candidates belonging to historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups: Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and trans and non-binary people.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities).  Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact Lygia Siqueira via email at [email protected]. If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/workplace-accessibility/centre-workplace-accessibility or contact the Centre at [email protected].

With gratitude, we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs, which include four university academic campuses, are located on traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty - comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members - is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

UBC - One of the World's Leading Universities. As one of the world's leading universities, the University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, advances a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.