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EPFL | École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

EPFL is ranked 12th in the world in QS 2017 – World University Ranking. EPFL offers an exceptional research and training environment with state-of-the-art facilities. The working language at EPFL is English. Laboratory of Biomaterials for Immunoengineering (Tang lab @ EPFL) is located on the 2nd floor of the new MED building (east side). We are actively looking for highly motivated and talented students and postdocs to join our laboratory.

 

Postdoctoral Postion Opening

One full-time postdoctoral position in cancer immunotherapy and immunoengineering for an Innosuisse project is immediately available in Tang lab at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). This collaborative project (3 years) between Tang lab and Novochizol SA aims at improving the safety and efficacy of immune therapies against solid cancers using a unique chitosan transformation technology, NovochizolTM nanoparticle, for tumor-targeted delivery of immune therapeutics. The salaries and benefits for postdoctoral researchers are internationally competitive at EPFL. The working language is English.

The candidate will work on developing novel cancer immunotherapies through metabolic modulation of immune cells and elucidating mechanism of key limitations in current cancer immunotherapy such as T cell exhaustion. The candidate will also utilize new biochemical and biophysical tools developed in Tang lab to engineer immune responses for next generation immunotherapy. The candidate is expected to have strong expertise and experimental background in immunology, cancer immunotherapy, immune metabolism, and mouse studies, and is willing to work in a highly interdisciplinary environment. The successful applicants should have published peer-reviewed articles as the first author in tier 1 journals, be self-motivated, and have excellent communication skills (in English).

Tang lab’s research focuses on developing novel strategies to engineer the multi-dimensional immunity-disease interactions, an emerging field called “immunoengineering”, through chemical, metabolic, and mechanical means in order to treat cancer safely and effectively with immunotherapies. The candidate will work on the cancer immunotherapy project enabled by the NovochizaolTM nanoparticles. In addition, the candidate will investigate the metabolic modulation of immune cells, in particular, exhausted lymphocyte in the tumor microenvironment. The candidate is expected to have strong expertise and experimental background in immunology, cancer immunotherapy, immune metabolism, nanotechnology, and mouse studies, and is willing to work in a highly interdisciplinary environment. The successful applicants should have published peer-reviewed articles as the first author in tier 1 journals, be self-motivated, and have excellent communication skills (in English). For detailed information about this postition, please see our job opening description and recent publications  below, or contact Prof. Tang ( [email protected]).

 

  • Nat. Immunol. 2021, 22, 746-756. (cover story)
  • Nat. Biotech. 2023, in press
  • Nat. Immunol. 2020, 21, 1540-1551.
  • Nat. Biotech. 2018, 36, 707-716. (cover story)
  • Sci. Adv. 2021, 7, eabg7291.
  • ACS Cent. Sci. 2020, 6, 404-412. (editorial highlight)
  • Nat. Biomed. Eng. 2021, 5, 1411-1425 (editorial highlight)
  • Nat. Nanotech. 2023, in press
  • Matter, 2022, 5, 2510-2513

 

Doctoral student

Tang lab’s research aims at developing novel strategies to engineer immunity-disease interactions, an emerging field called ‘immunoengineering’, through chemical, metabolic, and mechanical means in order to treat cancer safely and effectively with immunotherapies. We are actively looking to recruit PhD students who are interested in this new field and would like to work in a highly interdisciplinary environment.

Highly motivated and talented students (bachelor or master) with excellent academic achievements in a major field of Immunology, Cancer Biology, Bioengineering, or a closely related discipline, are encouraged to apply for EPFL doctoral programs (EDBB or EDMS or EDMX, see http://phd.epfl.ch/programs for details).

If you are interested in joining Tang Lab, please forward your CV, research statement (including experience and interest, max. 3 pages), and the contact information of 3 references to Prof. Tang ( [email protected]). If you are interested in getting Prof. Tang’s support to apply for graduate fellowships that can sponsor your graduate study at EPFL, including European or international scholarships (e.g., Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars, Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC), etc), please contact Prof. Tang directly.


Candidates with only a four-year Bachelor Degree are also considered (depending on the undergraduate institution and study/research performance there).

Training projects for master and bachelor students

We welcome master and bachelor students to join our lab for semester projects, internship, and theses. Students who like to join as a lab member and conduct a relatively long-term project will be considered with preference. Interested candidates should email Prof. Tang ([email protected]) their CVs containing completed courses, GPA, and research experience (if any), and indicate their research interest and time commitment for conducting research in Tang lab.

There are several research projects available for semester projects, summer internship, or master theses depending on the time commitment of the student:

Chemical immunoengineering

Development of assays investigating the interaction of immune cells with cancer cells under the influence of smart prodrugs and biomaterials. The students will learn many techniques of mammalian cell culture, isolation and manipulation of lymphocytes and cancer cells, culture assays, sample preparation and labeling as well as data analysis.

Scaffolding for immune cell activation and expansion

The goal of this project is to develop a hydrogel-based 3D cell scaffold to support immune cells survival, growth, expansion, and function. The students will investigate how to control the physicochemical properties of hydrogel and modify the hydrogel. The students will then investigate activation, expansion and phenotypes of T cells and NK cells in the scaffold system. Microscopy and flow cytometry will be used to analyze the isolated immune cells in culture.

Mechanical immunoengineering

Adoptive transfer of T cells has led to striking results in some cancer patients. Nevertheless, manufacturing of T cell-based products is complicated due to sub-optimal T cell activation and expansion protocols. We developed a unique approach aiming at using biophysical cues to enhance T cell proliferation. In this project, you will work on the activation of mouse primary T cells and gain expertise in T cell biology, culture of cell lines, and cell phenotypic analysis (cytometry).

Car-T cell engineering

CAR-T cell therapy has led to striking results in some cancer patients. Nevertheless, efficacy of CAR-T cells in solid tumors remains an important challenge. Here, we aim at developing novel CARs with enhanced efficacy against solid tumors. In this project, you will work on the generation of mouse CAR-T cells and gain expertise in molecular cloning, T-cell biology, cell culture, and flow cytometry.