PhD Position - TCR Discovery and Cellular Immunotherapy

As part of this interdisciplinary project, you will: Establish patient-derived in vitro tumor models from EBV-positive malignancies. Engineer HLA-defined target cells using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Isolate and characterize tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from patient samples. Perform single-cell profiling of immune cell transcriptomes and TCR repertoires. Reconstruct and functionally validate candidate TCRs to determine antigen specificity, HLA restriction, and anti-tumor activity. Perform advanced immunological assays including multicolor flow cytometry, T-cell expansion, cytokine secretion, proliferation, and cytotoxicity assays. Integrate functional, genomic, and transcriptomic datasets in collaboration with computational scientists. Present research findings at laboratory meetings and international conferences. Contribute to high-impact publications and collaborative research projects.

As a joint venture of the University of Basel and the University Hospitals Basel, the Department of Biomedicine (DBM) brings together basic and clinical scientists to advance the understanding of health and disease. We are home to more than 67 research groups and over 800 employees across six locations in the heart of Basel. Our collaborative and international environment fosters innovation, excellence, and impactful research. The Infection Biology, led by Prof. Nina Khanna Gremmelmaier, is looking for a fully funded PHD position. Join our community and help shape the future of biomedicine. The Infection Biology Laboratory studies immune responses to infectious diseases and virus-associated malignancies with the goal of developing next-generation cellular immunotherapies.

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in Immunology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related discipline.

• Strong interest in cancer and infection immunology and translational research.

• Hands-on laboratory experience in cell culture, molecular biology, and immune assays.

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Strong analytical thinking and willingness to learn new experimental and computational techniques.

• Good written and spoken English.