Postdoctoral Researcher

Company Description

The University Health Network, where “above all else the needs of patients come first”, encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Michener Institute of Education. The breadth of research, the complexity of the cases treated, and the magnitude of its educational enterprise has made UHN a national and international resource for patient care, research and education. With a long tradition of ground breaking firsts and a purpose of “Transforming lives and communities through excellence in care, discovery and learning”, the University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest research teaching hospital, brings together over 16,000 employees, more than 1,200 physicians, 8,000+ students, and many volunteers. UHN is a caring, creative place where amazing people are amazing the world. 

Job Description

Union: Non-Union
Site: Princess Margaret Research Institution 
Department: Research - Molecular and Cellular Biology 
Reports to: Principal Investigator 
Work Model: On-Site
Grade: V0:01
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Salary: $60,000 minimum, annually: To commensurate with experience and consistent with UHN compensation policy
Shifts: Monday - Friday 
Status: Temporary Full-time (1 year contract)
Closing Date: August 31, 2024

Position Summary 

A POSTDOCTORAL position is available in the laboratory of Professor Hakem at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/University Health Network, Toronto/Canada. https://medbio.utoronto.ca/faculty/hakem https://www.uhnresearch.ca/researcher/razqallah-hakem

Our lab is interested in characterizing novel cancer mechanisms and exploiting therapeutic vulnerabilities to kill aggressive cancers. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5948-7931

Cancer genetics, DNA damage repair, genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening, biochemistry, transcriptomics, epigenetics, chromatin remodeling, pharmacogenomics, and multi-omics integration are the pillars of our research program. For our studies, we use mouse models, Patients Derived Xenografts (PDXs), Patient Derived Organoids (PDOs), as well as publicly available cancer databases (e.g., TCGA). We work towards improving cancer patients' therapy by using systems biology, multidisciplinary approaches, and working with our collaborator’s scientists, clinicians, pathologists, medicinal chemists, and computational biologists”.

The Hakem lab has an excellent track record studying cancer mechanisms and related signaling pathways. Our studies have been published in excellent peer-reviewed journals including Science (doi.10.1126/science.1094557), Nature Communications (doi.10.1038/ncomms12638), the Journal of Clinical Investigation (doi. 10.1172/JCI140105 and doi.10.1172/JCI120401), Nucleic Acids Research (doi.10.1093/nar/gkad172 and doi.10.1093/nar/gkad733), and Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (doi.10.1038/s41594-024-01286-7).

Duties

• Working closely with our research team members
• Regularly updating the PI on the research progress
• Weekly Data presentation at our lab meeting
• Excellent skills in writing manuscripts and fellowship applications

Qualifications

• PhD degree obtained within the past 2 to 3 years.
• Strong publication record in the field of cancer.
• Demonstrated expertise in cancer biology.
• Highly self-motivated candidates who can work effectively independently and as a team member will be prioritized.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.       
• Extensive experience in cancer biology, cell signaling, CRISPR/Cas9 genome screening and OMICs.                                     

Additional Information

Why join UHN?

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees mus