Postdoctoral Position (100%) in Leukemia Immunology and Metabolism

As a joint venture of the University of Basel and the University Hospitals Basel, the Department of Biomedicine (DBM) brings together basic and clinical scientists to advance the understanding of health and disease.
We are home to more than 67 research groups and over 800 employees across six locations in the heart of Basel. Our collaborative and international environment fosters innovation, excellence, and impactful research.

The Blood Cancer Biology and Immunotherapy group, led by Prof. Petya Apostolova, is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher (100%) to investigate how cellular metabolism shapes leukemia persistence, immune evasion, and anti-leukemia immunity. This position is funded within our recent European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project LIFE - Targeting bioactive lipids to overcome leukemia immune evasion and improve allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcomes.

Start date: 1. February 2027 or upon agreement
Duration: 1 year, with possibility of extension and long-term perspective

Join our community and help shape the future of biomedicine.

Your position

Research environment
The Apostolova Lab is based at the Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, in a highly interactive environment spanning cancer biology, immunology, genomics, metabolism, and translational medicine. Our group combines mechanistic leukemia models with metabolism, immunology, and multi-omics to understand how leukemia cells adapt to therapeutic pressure and interact with the immune system.
The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure for flow cytometry, animal experimentation, advanced microscopy, single-cell and spatial technologies, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics, and computational biology, together with extensive opportunities for local and international collaboration. Mentorship and respect for human values, including diversity, equity, and inclusiveness, are driving forces of our group.

The successful candidate will lead an ambitious interdisciplinary project at the interface of leukemia biology, tumor immunology, and cellular metabolism. Our ongoing work shows that leukemia metabolism profoundly influences the tumor-immune crosstalk, shaping both recognition of leukemia cells by the immune system and immune cell phenotypes. The project will investigate how specific metabolic programs enable leukemia cells to adapt to therapeutic and immune pressure, alter leukemia-immune interactions, and create targetable vulnerabilities.
Research directions may include:

• Metabolic adaptation of leukemia under therapeutic pressure
• Effects of leukemia-derived metabolites on immune-cell function and immune recognition
• Identification and functional validation of metabolic mechanisms and therapeutic targets

Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing, performing, and interpreting mechanistic experiments, including in vivo animal studies
• Establishing and adapting experimental approaches as required
• Analyzing and presenting scientific data
• Developing collaborative projects
• Mentoring PhD and MSc students
• Contributing to manuscripts, scientific meetings, and grant applications

Experimental approaches in our group include in vivo leukemia and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation models, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics and lipidomics, functional genomics and CRISPR screens, spectral flow cytometry, cell sorting, bulk, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and functional immune and metabolic assays.

Your profile

We are looking for an experimental scientist with strong intellectual curiosity, knowledge and practical expertise in tumor immnology, and an interest in mechanistic cancer research.
Applicants should have:

• A PhD (or equivalent degree) in cancer biology, immunology, molecular biology, hematology, or a related discipline
• A strong conceptual and experimental background in tumor biology and/or immunology
• Substantial hands-on experience with in vivo mouse tumor models, ideally in hematological cancers, and willingness to perform animal experiments
• Extensive experience with (spectral) flow cytometry and molecular biology
• A strong experimental track record, ideally including a high-quality first-author publication
• The ability to independently design, execute, and interpret mechanistic experiments
• Excellent communication skills (in English) and the ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team

Experience in leukemia research, tumor immunology, metabolism, CRISPR screening, or histology is an advantage but not required.
We are particularly interested in candidates who want to take intellectual ownership of an ambitious project, pursue mechanistic questions, and develop their own scientific profile at the interface of tumor immunology and metabolism.

We offer you

• The possibility to perform cutting-edge research in leukemia immunology and metabolism
• A stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment with state-of-the-art technologies
• A dynamic and international team with a strong culture of collaboration and mutual support
• Close interaction with neighboring labs in hematology, cancer immunology, oncology, and metabolism
• Strong scientific mentorship and career-development support
• Intellectual freedom to develop and pursue scientific ideas
• An excellent academic environment at the University of Basel

Application

Please submit your application:

• a CV including publication list
• your most important original publication illustrating your scientific expertise
• a brief statement outlining your previous research, scientific interests, and motivation for joining our group
• contact details of two to three references

Applications from candidates with strong backgrounds in experimental hematology, tumor immunology, or cancer metabolism are particularly encouraged.