Jobs

Background

The Personalized Approaches in the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer (PATH) study aims to use longitudinal plasma cell‑free DNA sequencing to develop a minimally invasive method for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) and recurrence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Approximately 35 % of patients with HNSCC recur and die despite aggressive treatment. There are currently no validated biomarkers to monitor treatment response or detect residual disease. The proposed pilot will collect serial blood draws from 30–50 patients per year and perform whole‑genome sequencing (WGS) on Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) platforms. It will integrate genomic, epigenomic and fragmentomic features (SNVs, copy‑number variants, methylation marks, fragment size, end‑motifs, nucleosomal positioning, viral integration) to sensitively detect low tumour fractions. The project’s third aim is to explore bioinformatics tools to develop a genome‑wide multimodal MRD analysis pipeline, analyze baseline plasma samples, and retrospectively analyze longitudinal samples to detect tumour burden. This position will be central to achieving those aims.

High‑level Summary of the Role

The post‑doctoral fellow will lead the development of an integrated analysis pipeline for detecting minimal residual disease in head and neck cancer patients by analyzing longitudinal plasma ctDNA. Using whole‑genome sequencing from both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms, the fellow will combine genomic mutations, copy‑number alterations, methylation signatures, fragmentomics and viral integration data to sensitively track tumour burden over time. They will adapt and create bioinformatics methods, apply tumour‑informed analyses using matched tumour and normal WGS, and analyze baseline and follow‑up blood samples to identify early ctDNA signals before clinical standard of care recurrence. The fellow will collaborate within the GSC and PATH project to produce reports and manuscripts, and help scale the pipeline for future studies to impact cancer patient care.

The Pouget Lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow in computational genomics and data science to study how genetic variation shapes neurodevelopment and vulnerability to psychosis.

Our lab integrates large-scale human genomic data with multimodal, single-cell resolution molecular profiling of brain and peripheral immune cells to (1) discover molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, (2) refine biologically grounded disease subtypes and therapeutic targets, and (3) develop scalable biomarkers for precision psychiatry.

Ongoing projects include:

• Predictive modelling of psychosis symptom trajectories in large youth cohorts
• Integrative analysis of multimodal sequencing data, including paired single-nucleus RNA-seq + ATAC-seq from postmortem human brain and peripheral blood samples
• Whole genome sequencing in clinical populations to inform genetic testing guidelines

TRAINING ENVIRONMENT
As a post-doc in the Pouget Lab, you will work within a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary research program with direct clinical translation to youth mental health. Our lab offers a collaborative, people-first, mentorship-focused environment committed to rigor, reproducibility, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and sustainable research careers.

We are based at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centres in its field.  As Canada’s leading mental illness research facility, CAMH’s Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute (CFMHRI) is home to scientists, staff and research trainees conducting leading research to improve the understanding of the brain and the causes, the biomarkers and cures for mental illness as well as research to advance the prevention and treatment for mental illness and addictions across the lifespan. CAMH is a fully affiliated teaching hospital and research institute of the University of Toronto.

The Morrissy Lab is seeking a highly motivated scientist with expertise in bioinformatics and data science to join our team as a Postdoctoral Associate focused on understanding immunotherapy responses in solid tumors. The candidate will use state-of-the-art analytic approaches to investigate multi-omics data and derive an in-depth understanding of tumor ecosystem dynamics in clinical samples from immunotherapy trials – including phenotypic and functional cell heterogeneity, tumor and microenvironment cell niches, and cellular crosstalk. This research is primarily focused on cohorts of single-patient and phase I clinical trial participants treated with CAR T-cells (see Zemp el, 2024, in revision at Nature; preprint on medRxiv), and identifying mechanisms of immunotherapy response and resistance from longitudinally-collected blood and tumor tissue samples. The candidate will employ innovative bioinformatics and machine learning approaches to integrate single cell and spatial datasets from clinical samples with data from ongoing preclinical studies, further incorporating genomics and proteomics profiles from in-house or public repositories.

A funded Postdoctoral Fellow opportunity is available in Dr. Finlay Maguire’s group in the Computer Science / Community Health & Epidemiology at Dalhousie University.

This is a full-time one-year position, with the possibility of extension, at the University of Dalhousie. This position is supported by a New Frontiers in Research Fund Explore grant with Dr. Samira Mubareka at Sunnybrook Research Institute/University of Toronto, Dr. Arinjay Banerjee at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organisation/University of Saskatchewan, and Dr. Jeff Bowman at Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources/University of Trent.

About Epitopea

Epitopea is a biotech company developing next-generation cancer immunotherapies. Using our Cryptigen™ platform, we combine immunopeptidomics and transcriptomics to identify shared tumor-specific antigens. By integrating multi-omic datasets with advanced computational methods, we aim to create accessible, off-the-shelf cancer vaccines for patients.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Biology to join Epitopea’s ASCEND Fellowship program. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to translational research at the interface of immunology, cancer biology, and computational science, while receiving tailored career development support from adMare BioInnovations.

The Fellow will work closely with Epitopea’s multidisciplinary team of wet-lab scientists and computational biologists. This is a rare opportunity to join a growing biotech company at a formative stage and to make a direct impact on early vaccine development.

This role is based in Montreal, QC, Canada and requires on-site presence.

French version:

À propos d’Epitopea

Epitopea est une entreprise de biotechnologie qui développe des immunothérapies de nouvelle génération contre le cancer. À l’aide de notre plateforme Cryptigen™, nous combinons l’immunopeptidomique et la transcriptomique pour identifier des antigènes communs spécifiques aux tumeurs. En intégrant des ensembles de données multi-omiques à des méthodes computationnelles avancées, nous visons à créer des vaccins contre le cancer accessibles et “off-the-shelf”, pouvant bénéficier à un grand nombre de patients.

L’opportunité

Nous recherchons un chercheur postdoctoral en biologie computationnelle pour rejoindre le programme de bourses ASCEND d’Epitopea. Il s’agit d’une occasion unique de contribuer à la recherche translationnelle à l’interface de l’immunologie, de la biologie du cancer et des sciences computationnelles, tout en bénéficiant d’un soutien personnalisé en matière de développement de carrière de la part d’adMare BioInnovations.

Le boursier travaillera en étroite collaboration avec l’équipe multidisciplinaire d’Epitopea, composée de scientifiques de laboratoire et de biologistes computationnels. Il s’agit d’une occasion rare de rejoindre une entreprise de biotechnologie en pleine croissance à un stade formatif et d’avoir un impact direct sur le développement de nos vaccins.

Ce poste est basé à Montréal (Québec, Canada) et nécessite une présence sur site.