Postdoctoral Position - Cancer Epigenetics in Paola Scaffidi Lab

Postdoctoral Position - Cancer Epigenetics in Paola Scaffidi Lab

IEO - European Institute of Oncology

Milan, Italy

€ 39.000 per year gross

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Scientist to join Paola Scaffidi’s research team at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan on a project funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research under FIS 3 (Italian Fund for Science) programme, investigating molecular mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in physiological and pathological settings.

About the Project:

Epigenetic mechanisms integrate intrinsic and extrinsic signals to regulate the functional output of the genome, ultimately defining cellular states and behaviors. They regulate various biological processes in physiology and their dysregulation often leads to disease. The molecular control of epigenetic information relies on the Epigenetic Regulatory Network (ERN), hundreds of proteins of diverse function, which cooperate in defining chromatin structure and DNA methylation landscapes.

While many network components have been characterized, how these different regulatory layers function in a coherent network is poorly understood. With this research, we aim to move beyond the examination of individual network components and dissect how redundancy and functional interactions within and across distinct classes of epigenetic regulators govern ERN functionality.

By interrogating the ERN through the lens of cancer or regenerative medicine, the successful candidates will:

• Indentify functional relationships between regulators of diverse molecular functions;
• Dissect how mutational or pharmacological perturbation induce ERN remodeling within and across classes of epigenetic regulators;
• predict the impact of combinatorial interference with ERN components in biomedically-relevant models;
• Collaborate with computational scientists to integrate mechanistic and systems-level insights.

We seek creative, self-driven scientists with a PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology or related fields. Expertise in chromatin, genomics, or epigenetics is a plus; genuine enthusiasm for tackling fundamental questions with cutting-edge methods is essential.

Key responsibilities:

• Design and perform genetic and genomics screens to reconstruct maps of functional interactions across the ERN;
• Design and carry out functional experiments to mechanistically dissect the basis of identified interactions;
• Identify physiologically relevant conditions to exploit the generated knowledge.

Essential qualifications:

• PhD in molecular biology, genomics, biochemistry, or a related field;
• Hands-on experience with next-generation sequencing–based methods or high-content quantitative microscopy, and large-scale genetic screens;
• Strong record of productivity demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications.