Research Assistant/Lab Technician Position in Blood Cancer Biology and Immunotherapy (70-100%)

University of Basel; Basel; On-site; CHF 70,000 - 110,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship and career development

International team

Competitive academic environment

Job summary

University of Basel is seeking a highly motivated research assistant/laboratory technician (70-100%) to support a Blood Cancer Biology and Immunotherapy group. The role includes lab maintenance, reagent preparation, biobanking, and technical support for PhD students and postdocs, with exposure to cell culture, metabolism assays, and CRISPR screens.

Based in Basel, the position offers a collaborative, international environment, mentorship, and development of technical skills, with opportunities

Qualifications

• Training as a molecular biology research technician (lab technician) or M.Sc. (or equivalent) in biological sciences or related fields.
• Proficient in basic lab techniques (cell culture, sterile work, PCR).
• Previous experience with processing human samples, animal work, flow cytometry or metabolism assays is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Laboratory maintenance and preparation of common reagents.
• Biobanking of human blood and bone marrow samples with documentation.
• Technical support for PhD students and postdocs, including cell culture and animal experiments.
• Apply diverse techniques such as flow cytometry, metabolomics and CRISPR-based approaches.

Skills

Molecular biology techniques

Cell culture

PCR

Animal work willingness

English communication

Education

M.Sc. in Biological Sciences or related field

Tools

Flow cytometry

CRISPR screening

LC-MS metabolomics

Biobanking techniques

Job description

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 www.apostolovalab.com, is looking for a highly motivated research assistant/laboratory technician (70-100%) to support our ongoing work on understanding how metabolites shape anti-leukemia immunity and the leukemic microenvironment.

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

The successful candidate will support the research group and individual scientists with lab maintenance,experimental work, and biobanking.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Laboratory maintenance
• Preparation of common lab reagents
• Biobanking of human blood and bone marrow samples including documentation
• Technical support of PhD students and postdocs, including with cell culture and animal experiments

Experimental approaches in our group include in vivo leukemia and allogeneic hematopoietic stem celltransplantation models, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics and lipidomics, functionalgenomics and CRISPR screens, spectral flow cytometry, cell sorting, bulk, single-cell and spatialtranscriptomics, and functional immune and metabolic assays. The successful candidate will have theopportunity to learn and independently apply several of these techniques.

Research environment

The Apostolova Lab is based at the Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, in a highly interactiveenvironment spanning cancer biology, immunology, genomics, metabolism, and translational medicine. Ourgroup combines mechanistic leukemia models with metabolism, immunology, and multi-omics to understandhow leukemia cells adapt to therapeutic pressure and interact with the immune system. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to join a young and dynamic group conducting high-levelresearch in hematology. The candidate will receive direct support from the lab manager and other scientists toset their mark in the lab and will be actively involved in the lab projects, providing multiple opportunities fortraining in flow cytometry, molecular biology, metabolism assays, and in vivo experimentation. Mentorship andrespect for human values, including diversity, equity, and inclusiveness, are driving forces of our group.

Your profile

• Training as a molecular biology research technician (lab technician) or M.Sc. (or equivalent) in biological sciences or related fields
• Proficient in basic lab techniques (cell culture, working in sterile conditions, PCR)
• Previous experience with processing human blood samples, animal work, molecular biology, flow cytometry, or metabolism assays will be advantageous
• Willingness to work with animal models
• Interest in hematology, tumor immunology, and metabolism
• Excellent communication skills (English mandatory, German advantageous) and the ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team

We offer you

• A stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment focused on the role of metabolism in leukemia and the leukemia-immune crosstalk
• A dynamic and international team with a strong culture of collaboration and mutual support
• Opportunities for development of technical skills
• Close interaction with neighboring labs inhematology, cancer immunology, oncology, and metabolism
• Strong mentorship, including career development support
• Competitive academic environment at the University of Basel