PhD/Postdoc in In Vivo CRISPR Screening (Dry and/or Wet Lab)

About the role

The Laboratory of Causal Systems Immunology, part of the VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology and the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, is looking for a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher to advance in vivo perturbational screening. The lab combines causal inference, probabilistic AI and large-scale in vivo perturbation experiments to understand how genes shape immune-cell states and how the immune system responds to interventions. The position can have an experimental, computational or hybrid focus, but an interest in both is essential.

Key responsibilities

• Learn and apply the complete screening pipeline, from stem-cell engineering to data analysis.
• Develop and test improvements in single-cell methods and vector design.
• Apply the technology in steady-state and disease settings.
• Analyse perturbational data to identify causal regulators of immune-cell states.
• Close the loop between computational predictions and experimental validation.
• Present work at conferences and publish in scientific journals.
• Contribute to the supervision of Master's and, where appropriate, PhD students.

Required profile

• Master's degree for PhD applicants or a PhD for postdoctoral applicants in molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, bioinformatics, computational biology, biostatistics or a related field.
• Experience in either experimental or computational biology.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

What we offer

• An interdisciplinary environment spanning experimental biology, technology development and computational research.
• Access to an established in vivo single-cell CRISPR screening pipeline and state-of-the-art technologies, data and core facilities.
• A collaborative environment across two VIB research centers.
• A competitive salary and full benefits.

Applications are made through the online form on the VIB careers site, with a motivation letter, a scientific CV and ideally contact details for at least one referee.