Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioinformatics, Spatial Transcriptomics and Digital Pathology in Gastric Cancer

Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida, Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida); España; On-site; EUR 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Institute for Biomedical Research of Lleida (IRBLleida) is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with expertise in bioinformatics and computational biology to join a multidisciplinary translational cancer programme focused on gastric adenocarcinoma and immunotherapy.

The position is intended for a researcher eligible to apply for the 2026 Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowship and will be developed within an active research programme investigating the molecular and spatial

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Biostatistics, Biomedical Sciences, Computer Science or closely related field.
• PhD awarded between 2024 and 2026 according to Juan de la Cierva call eligibility.
• Strong experience in bioinformatics and computational analysis of high-throughput biological data.
• Demonstrated experience in transcriptomic data analysis, preferably including scRNA-seq and/or spatial transcriptomics.
• Strong programming skills in R and/or Python.
• Experience with data analysis, visualization and statistical methods for biological research.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Strong scientific communication skills and ability to disseminate results through publications or conferences.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement bioinformatics pipelines for spatial transcriptomics analysis.
• Characterize tumor, immune and stromal cells and their interactions spatially.
• Integrate spatial transcriptomics with histopathological and clinical data.
• Identify predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy response.
• Explore AI and machine-learning methods for digital pathology.
• Analyze multi-omics datasets from gastric cancer cohorts.
• Design, implement and validate reproducible computational workflows.
• Present results at international conferences and in high-impact journals.
• Collaborate with national and international research groups and assist grant applications.

Skills

R

Python

Bioinformatics

Transcriptomics

Data visualization

Statistical analysis

Communication

English

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics or related

PhD awarded between 2024-01-01 and 2026-12-31

Tools

R

Python

Spatial transcriptomics

Single-cell RNA-seq analysis

Job description

Organisation/Company Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida, Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida) Research Field Medical sciences » Health sciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 30 Oct 2026 - 12:00 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Not Applicable Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The Institute for Biomedical Research of Lleida (IRBLleida) is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with expertise in bioinformatics and computational biology to join a multidisciplinary translational cancer research programme focused on gastric adenocarcinoma and immunotherapy.

The position is intended for a researcher eligible to apply for the 2026 Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowshipand will be developed within an active research programme investigating the molecular and spatial determinants of response and resistance to immunotherapy in gastric cancer.

The research programme integratesspatial transcriptomics, bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, digital pathology and artificial intelligence, together with clinical and molecular data from well-characterised gastric cancer cohorts. Particular emphasis will be placed on the identification and validation of biomarkers of response and resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The researcher will have the opportunity to:

• Develop and implement bioinformatics pipelines for the analysis of spatial transcriptomics.
• Perform spatially resolved characterisation of tumour, immune and stromal cell populations and their interactions.
• Integrate spatial transcriptomics with histopathological and clinical data.
• Contribute to the development of computational approaches for the identification of predictive biomarkers of immunotherapy response.
• Explore and developAI and machine-learning approaches for digital pathology, including the integration of histological image features with spatial and molecular data.
• Analyse and integrate multi-omics datasets generated from gastric cancer cohorts.
• Contribute to the design, implementation and validation of reproducible computational workflows.
• Present results at international conferences and publish findings in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
• Collaborate with national and international research groups and contribute to competitive grant applications.

The position offers an excellent opportunity for a young researcher to develop an independent research profile at the interface ofbioinformatics, spatial biology, computational pathology and translational oncology, within a clinically driven research programme with direct access to well-characterised gastric cancer cohorts.

Requirements

Research Field Medical sciences » Health sciences Education Level PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• PhD inBioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Biostatistics, Biomedical Sciences, Computer Scienceor a closely related discipline.
• PhD awardedbetween 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2026, in accordance with the eligibility requirements of the2026 Juan de la Cierva call.
• Strong experience inbioinformatics and computational analysis of high-throughput biological data.
• Demonstrated experience in the analysis oftranscriptomic data, preferably including single-cell RNA-sequencing and/or spatial transcriptomics.
• Strong programming skills inR and/or Python.
• Experience with data analysis, visualisation and statistical methods for biological research.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.
• Strong scientific communication skills and a demonstrated ability to disseminate research results through scientific publications and/or conferences.
• Excellent command ofwritten and spoken English.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Research Field Medical sciences » Health sciences Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Additional Information

Full-time, 3-year postdoctoral contract, subject to confirmation in the official Juan de la Cierva 2026 call. Salary and funding conditions will be determined in accordance with the terms established in the official call.

Deadline for expressions of interest:30 October 2026

Selection process

Pre-selection:Candidates will be assessed based on their CV, motivation, research experience and overall suitability for the proposed project.

Interviews:Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Additional comments

The Institute:

IRBLleida acts as a cluster of all biomedical research carried out in Lleida and incorporates to two stakeholders that conduct health research and implement innovation policies:

The Department of Health, includes researchers from Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital (HUAV), Santa María University Hospital (HUSM), Catalan Health Institute (ICS) and Lleida Primary Care and Community.

IRBLleida is a CERCA center, the biocluster supported and supervised by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, and it is also accredited as a Centre of Excellence by Carlos III Health Institute (funded by Spanish Government).

We offer and promote a diverse and inclusive environment and welcome applicants regardless gender, nationality, ethnicity or religion. IRBLleida is awarded with the 'HR Excellence in Research' from the European Commission. This recognition reflects the commitment of IRBLleida recruitment and appraisal procedures in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.