Postdoctoral Scholar

Department Overview

The Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to support NIH-funded studies focused on engineering complex cancer-bone microphysiologic systems. The successful candidate will develop and apply vascularized, mineralized, and multicellular bone-on-chip platforms to investigate mechanisms of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) bone invasion and prostate cancer metastasis to bone. This position will involve 3D tissue engineering, organ-on-chip and microfluidic culture, hydrogel and matrix-based model development, advanced microscopy, quantitative image analysis, and molecular characterization of tumor-bone interactions.

Function/Duties of Position

Strong preference will be given to candidates with experience engineering complex 3D tissue models, organ-on-chip systems, cancer microenvironment models, bone biology, or biofabrication. Additional preferred expertise includes immune cell incorporation into engineered tissues, macrophage/osteoclast biology, mouse-derived immune or tumor models, neurobiology, neuron co-culture, innervated tissue models, and/or spatial omics.

An ideal candidate will have a strong record of publications, a proven record of independence, and the ability to work effectively with the principal investigator, collaborators, staff scientists, and trainees. The candidate should be highly organized, adaptable, detail-oriented, collaborative, and able to independently solve problems while helping advance multiple projects in parallel.

Duties include:

Perform experiments utilizing appropriate bioengineering, cell culture, imaging, and molecular techniques with proficiency; evaluate results; troubleshoot experiments; determine next steps; and present data.

Duties include developing and optimizing vascularized, mineralized, and multicellular bone-on-chip models; performing OSCC bone invasion studies with osteoblast/osteocyte/osteoclast components; performing prostate cancer bone metastasis studies involving vascularized and potentially innervated bone-on-chip systems; designing experiments evaluating tumor invasion, vascular association, osteoclastogenesis, bone remodeling, tumor phenotype, and microenvironmental crosstalk; incorporating immune or neural components into engineered tissues as appropriate; performing confocal/live imaging and quantitative image analysis; conducting immunostaining, qPCR, ELISA/Luminex, single cell spatial transcriptomics and related assays; staying current with relevant literature; and building new skills to maximize project potential.

Required Qualifications

• M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or Ph.D.
• Minimum of 3 years as a graduate student
• Specialty: Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Tissue Engineering, Cancer Biology, Bone Biology, or related field
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and/or engineered tissue systems
• Experience with mammalian cell culture and 3D culture systems
• Experience developing or using engineered tissue models, organ-on-chip/microfluidic systems, hydrogels, biomaterials, or 3D bioprinting
• Experience with fluorescence/confocal microscopy and quantitative image analysis
• Familiarity with immunostaining and molecular/cellular assays such as qPCR, ELISA/Luminex, Western blotting, or related methods
• Experience with data analysis and statistical methods
• Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative multidisciplinary team
• Ability to synthesize one’s own results and others’ findings to formulate hypotheses
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy to maintain effective working relationships

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working across interdisciplinary teams involving engineering, cancer biology, bone biology, clinicians, or computational collaborators
• Strong publication record and evidence of independent scientific thinking
• Experience with organ-on-chip or microphysiologic systems
• Experience with vascularized tissue models, endothelial/pericyte co-culture, perfusable microfluidic systems, or advanced 3D imaging
• Experience with bone biology, osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, mineralized matrices, or bone remodeling assays
• Experience with macrophage biology, osteoclastogenesis, immune cell co-culture, mouse immune cell isolation, or syngeneic mouse tumor/immune models
• Experience with neurobiology, neuron differentiation, neurite outgrowth assays, neural co-culture, cancer-neuron interactions, or innervated tissue models
• Experience with oral squamous cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, metastasis, invasion, EMT, or tumor microenvironment biology
• Experience with spatial transcriptomics, single-cell RNA-seq, multiplex imaging, or analysis of high-dimensional datasets

Additional Details

Apply online. Please be sure to upload a Cover Letter and Resume/CV.

We offer a variety of benefits on top of joining a thriving organization:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage at no or low cost to employees
  • Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents
• Several retirement plans to choose from with contributions from OHSU
• 120 hours of vacation time per year
• 96 hours of sick leave a year (prorated for part-time employees)
• 9 paid holidays per year
• Commuter subsidies
• Tuition reimbursement
• Access to group life insurance, disability insurance and other supplemental benefits
• Annual Raises
• Growth/Development Opportunities
• Employee discounts to local and major businesses

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Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact [email protected]