The Institute of Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna offers a PhD Student Position

Application deadline:        March 15^th, 2018

Start date:                             April or May 2018

Duration:                              3-4 years

Compensation:                   According to the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) guidelines at
                                               https://www.fwf.ac.at/en/research-funding/personnel-costs/

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student to join the Translational Tumor Immunology Group of Dr. Dietmar Herndler-Brandstetter at the Institute of Cancer Research in Vienna, Austria (https://krebsforschung.meduniwien.ac.at/forschung-research/research-focuses/cellular-and-molecular-tumor-biology/dietmar-herndler-brandstetter/). We have recently generated reporter and conditional knockout mouse models to investigate stromal regulation of immune cell development and anti-tumor immune responses. To uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms, the PhD project will involve single-cell RNA-seq and DNA methylation profiling, immunofluorescence microscopy, 13-color flow cytometry and in vivo transfer and disease models.

Requirements

• Master of science (MSc) or equivalent degree in biotechnology, molecular/cellular biology, immunology or a related discipline
• Documented research experience with molecular and cellular biology methods
• Research experience with mice and flow cytometry is preferred
• Basic knowledge in immunology is preferred
• High accuracy in scientific work and a proactive approach to solving problems
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• High self-motivation and desire to work in an international and competitive research environment

Selected publications

Developmental Plasticity of KLRG1⁺ Effector CD8⁺ T Cells Promotes Protective Immunity
Herndler-Brandstetter D*, Ishigame H*, Shinnakasu R, Plajer V, Stecher C, Zhao J, Lietzenmayer M, Kroehling L, Takumi A, Kometani K, Inoue T, Kluger Y, Kaech SM, Kurosaki T, Okada T^#, Flavell RA^#.
Immunity, in press (* contributed equally; ^# joint corresponding authors).

Anti-SIRPα antibody immunotherapy enhances neutrophil and macrophage anti-tumor activity
Guo Ring N*, Herndler-Brandstetter D*, Weiskopf K*, Shan L, Volkmer J, George BM, Lietzenmayer M, McKenna KM, Naik TJ, McCarthy A, Zheng Y, Ring AM, Flavell RA^#, Weissman IL^#.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2017 (* contributed equally; ^# joint corresponding authors).

Humanized mouse model supports development, function, and tissue residency of human natural killer cells
Herndler-Brandstetter D*, Shan L*, Yao Y, Stecher C, Plajer V, Lietzenmayer M, Zheng Y, Strowig T, de Zoete MR, Palm NW, Chen J, Blish CA, Gurer C, MacDonald LE, Murphy AJ, Valenzuela DM, Yancopoulos GD, Montgomery RR, Flavell RA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2017 (* contributed equally)

Hematopoietic stem cell niches control multipotent progenitor differentiation
Gomes AC*, Hara T*, Lim VY*, Herndler-Brandstetter D, Nevius E, Sugiyama T, Tani-Ichi S, Schlenner S, Richie E, Rodewald HR, Flavell RA, Nagasawa T, Ikuta K, Pereira JP.
Immunity, 2016 (* contributed equally)

How aging affects T lymphocyte-mediated immunity
Herndler-Brandstetter D.
Front Immunol, 2013 (Editorial)

Application
Interested students should send their application (letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, high school diploma and university transcripts, a brief synopsis of your master thesis, and names and contact details of 2 referees) to Dr. Dietmar Herndler-Brandstetter, Group Leader ‘Translational Tumor Immunology’: dietmar.herndler-brandstetter@meduniwien.ac.at