Post Doc – Open Rank – Ruscetti Lab

Mechanisms and models of immune suppression and metastasis in cancer

A postdoctoral research position supported by long-term federal funding is available in the laboratory of Marcus Ruscetti, Ph.D. to work on projects to:

(1) Develop innovative mouse models of prostate cancer to determine genetic determinants of immune suppression and metastasis.

(2) Uncover heterogeneous senescent cell types and niches that promote tumor progression using single cell and spatial approaches.

These projects, and my laboratory, lie at the intersection of cancer genetics and tumor immunology, and at the interface of basic science and translational medicine. Our long-term goals will be to translate our basic understanding of how genetic alterations and senescence biology regulate critical tumor-immune interactions into the development of small molecules and other therapeutic strategies to treat patients with deadly pancreatic and prostate cancers.

Our lab is part of the Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology (MCCB) at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMCMS) in Worcester, MA, giving us access to a multitude of state-of-the-art core facilities, shared equipment, and a highly stimulating and interactive intellectual environment. UMCMS is a vibrant and exciting research community, with ~3,000 faculty, including ~320 basic science principal investigators and ~2,500 clinical faculty. The UMCMS faculty includes members of the National Academy of Sciences, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. UMCMS faculty have won several major awards, including the Keck Award, the Lasker Prize, and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, among others.

Qualifications: Candidates should have a recent Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree in Biology, or a related field, and be excited and highly motivated to conduct new, cutting-edge research. Those with a background in cancer biology and/or immunology are highly desired. Candidates with the following qualifications are encouraged to apply: 1) strong self-motivation, 2) first author publications in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, 3) ability to collaborate within and outside the laboratory, 4) ability to plan, organize and meet deadlines, and 5) excellent communication skills. Technical expertise in cell culture, molecular biology, and cloning is required. experience in mouse colony management and surgery, genome-editing technologies, histology, microscopy, immunology, flow cytometry, and high-throughput sequencing preferred but not required. To apply, please send your cover letter (1-page limit) explaining your most significant accomplishments and how they relate to our work and CV. Please have 3 letters of reference sent directly from your references to Dr. Marcus Ruscetti.