Postdoctoral Researcher in Spatial Biology

ABCD; Lombardia; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Milano-Bicocca is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher in Spatial Biology to join SPICE-CC, a project aiming to understand how spatial organization of tumor, immune, stromal and vascular cells relates to recurrence in early-stage cervical cancer. The role centers on high-dimensional multiplex imaging of FFPE samples and rigorous spatial analysis.

You'll work closely with pathologists, clinicians and computational researchers, perform and optimize imaging, and contribute to cellular

Qualifications

• PhD in Cell Biology, Cancer Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology or a related discipline.
• Strong experimental background with hands-on experience in immunofluorescence, microscopy or tissue imaging.
• Scientific independence, analytical thinking and enthusiasm for multidisciplinary research.

Responsibilities

• Perform and optimize high-dimensional multiplex immunofluorescence imaging on FFPE tumor tissues.
• Characterize cell populations, tumor–immune interactions, tissue neighborhoods and spatial architecture at single-cell resolution.
• Contribute to image segmentation, cellular phenotyping, quality control and quantitative spatial analysis.
• Interpret spatial data in their biological and clinical context, working closely with pathologists, clinicians and computational researchers.

Skills

Multiplex imaging

Immunofluorescence

Single-cell analysis

Spatial biology

Education

PhD in Cell Biology or related

Tools

QuPath

Fiji/ImageJ

R

Python

Job description

Postdoctoral Researcher in Spatial Biology

Location

Postdoctoral Researcher in Spatial Biology

ABOUT THE PROJECT

We are recruiting an experimental spatial biologist for SPICE-CC (Spatial multiplex imaging for recurrence-risk stratification in early-stage cervical cancer after radical surgery), a newly funded Italian PRIN research project at the University of Milano-Bicocca. We aim to discover how the spatial organization of tumor, immune, stromal and vascular cells relates to recurrence, using high-dimensional multiplex imaging of clinically annotated human FFPE samples.

YOUR ROLE

• Perform and optimize high-dimensional multiplex immunofluorescence imaging on FFPE tumor tissues.
• Characterize cell populations, tumor–immune interactions, tissue neighborhoods and spatial architecture at single-cell resolution.
• Contribute to image segmentation, cellular phenotyping, quality control and quantitative spatial analysis.
• Interpret spatial data in their biological and clinical context, working closely with pathologists, clinicians and computational researchers.

YOUR PROFILE

• PhD in Cell Biology, Cancer Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology or a related discipline.
• Strong experimental background with hands-on experience in immunofluorescence, microscopy or tissue imaging.
• Scientific independence, analytical thinking and enthusiasm for multidisciplinary research.
• Assets, but not required: multiplex imaging, spatial proteomics/transcriptomics, human FFPE tissue analysis, QuPath, Fiji/ImageJ, R or Python. Previous spatial-omics experience is not mandatory.

WHAT WE OFFER

A two-year appointment with a gross annual salary of €50,000; access to high-dimensional spatial imaging and clinically annotated specimens; and a collaborative environment spanning Milano-Bicocca, the University of Milan/European Institute of Oncology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and Bocconi University. The position offers opportunities for scientific ownership, publications and career development.