Postdoctoral fellowships in 

Biology of cancer metastasis

Why do many cancer patients develop delayed metastases? How do metastatic cells survive in a foreign environment? Can we identify disseminated cancer cells before metastatic outgrowth?

If you are interested in answering these questions, Montagner lab is looking for two creative, independent, and ambitious Postdocs. Our mission is to identify innovative actionable targets to kill disseminated metastatic cells before the onset of metastasis. In our lab we apply bulk (qPCR, western blotting, cytofluorimetry) and single cell analyses (scRNAseq, immunofluorescence, multispectral imaging, mass cytometry) which encompass a breadth of disciplines (molecular biology, biochemistry, mechanobiology, bioinformatics, optogenetics) spanning diverse areas (cell biology, genomics, and metabolomics, pre-clinical translation, liquid biopsies). The Postdocs will isolate disseminated cells from multiple sources and animal models, generate single cell expression profiles, characterize the microenvironment, develop organotypic systems in vitro and design experiments for orthogonal validation or functional studies (patient-derived cell lines, high content screens, animal models) using technologies available through our group and our collaborators. (Montagner et al., Nature Cell Biology 2020; Zangrossi et al., Cancers 2021; Zangrossi et al., Cancers 2021).

Projects and lab environment

Montagner Lab has two immediate openings for postdoctoral associates. The current aims of the lab are: 1) application of genetic methods to identify disseminated cells, 2) understanding how mechanical signals, metabolic rewiring and tumor-stroma crosstalk contribute to survival of dormant disseminated cells. In our lab we apply bulk (qPCR, western blotting, cytofluorimetry) and single cell analyses (scRNAseq, immunofluorescence, multispectral imaging, mass cytometry) which encompass a breadth of disciplines (molecular biology, biochemistry, mechanobiology, bioinformatics, optogenetics) spanning diverse areas (cell biology, genomics, and metabolomics, pre-clinical translation, liquid biopsies). We have strong expertise in, but not limited to, techniques to study tumor-stroma crosstalk and cell mechanics, however we always aim at applying/developing the best method to tackle our hypotheses beyond the current techniques used in the lab. Having a cancer hospital on-site provides unique opportunities for translational research.

Fellowship

The Postdoctoral positions are opened immediately and will be filled as soon as suitable candidates are found. The positions are two and three years, with a one-year starting contract and extensions already covered by available grants (Italian Association for Cancer Research and STARS Consolidator Grant). The salary is equivalent to that of an Italian entry-level Assistant Professor (gross annual salary 24-31000 Euros, according to the experience), and adequate to comfortably support a foreign worker in Italy. Fellows will be encouraged to apply for competitive National and International Fellowships (e.g. Marie Curie, EMBO), as well as to young investigators grants towards scientific independence (e.g. University of Padua STARS Grant). 

Application process

For more information, please write an email to Dr. Marco Montagner (marco.montagner@unipd.it) and we will organize an interview.

Your application should contain (i) a complete CV with birth date, Nationality, University and PhD degrees and including a brief summary of past research achievements and publications, a motivation letter, and contact information for at least 2 (better 3) previous supervisors for reference.

The University of Padua is committed in developing an Academic environment where all talents can flourish regardless of gender, cultural background, nationality or impairments. See https://www.unipd.it/en/hr-excellence-research for more information on how the University of Padua implements the principles established by the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Montagner Lab is committed to nondiscrimination with respect to ethnicity, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, or affiliations.