We offer a 4-year-long predoctoral contract (PFI2024 grant, formerly FPI) to carry out a Ph.D. in the recently created Functional and Comparative Multiomics lab led by David Juan (publication record, ORCID) at the Spanish National Center for Biotechnology (CNB) in Madrid.
The Project
Cancer stems mostly from DNA mutations causing uncontrolled cell growth and tumoral traits. The likelihood of cancer increases with an individual's size (as cell count increases) and age (allowing more time for mutations). Contradictorily, larger and long-lived species don't always have a higher incidence of cancer, an enigma known as Peto’s paradox.
Our primary goal is to study the differences in the DNA Damage Response of primate species to uncover the molecular drivers of the evolution of different body sizes, longevities, and cancer prevalences explaining Peto’s paradox. We will perform health cell culture, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and DNA sequencing at single-cell resolution experiments that will be integrated computationally to understand the evolution of healthier, longer-living primates and obtain insights for developing specific and safer therapeutic approaches and interventions.
Eligibility
We are searching for a highly motivated candidate interested in pursuing a half-experimental and half-computational Ph.D. in the context of Comparative Omics, Cancer Research, and Primate Evolution.
Starting date (tentative): January 2025
Specific requirements:
- Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biomedicine, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, or related sciences are required.
- Previous experience in cell culture, genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics techniques and/or in computational biology and bioinformatics will be positively valued.
- Fluent oral and written English is required.
Interested candidates should send a CV and a motivation letter to David Juan (da.juan@cnb.csic.es).
More details about the project, the host group, and the training program are available at : https://www.csic.es/es/formacion-y-empleo/oportunidades-para-la-carrera-investigadora/pif2024-reparar-o-eliminar-estudio-de-las-estrategias-moleculares-en-primates-para-promover-la-supresion-de-tumores-la-longevidad-y-cuerpos-mas-grandes-pid2023-148831na-i00