Postdoctoral Fellow at The Francis Crick Institute

The Sahai laboratory focuses on how the tumour microenvironment influences the spread of cancer and how it responds to therapies. Details of research projects currently being undertaken can be seen at: https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/erik-sahai

More specifically, the Sahai group seeks to understand the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix in the initial invasion of cancers into the surrounding tissue, the factors determining the spatial organisation of tumours (including the distribution of leukocytes), the tumour microenvironment of metastases, and how the tumour microenvironment affects therapy responses. To do this, we use a wide range of approaches, including molecular biology, co-culture systems, pre-clinical models, analysis of patient tissue, and computational modelling.

Key Responsibilities

The Project

The project will seek to use innovative quantitative metrics to describe the spatial organisation of tumours and to develop computational models, such as agent-based models, to explain the distribution of cells within tissue and how one pattern of tissue organisation might transition into another. This work will be closely integrated with the generation of experimental data documenting the spatial patterns in both untreated and therapy treated pre-clinical cancer models, and analysis of patient material.

The project will include:

• Development of innovative quantitative and/or machine learning methods to describe spatial organisation in tumours and predict outcomes
• Development of computational models of tumour organisation
• Collaborative working with experimentalists and clinicians to test emerging hypotheses

The postholder will be responsible for:

• Developing and implementing quantitative methods to analyse spatial patterns
• Coding the above implementations – either ‘rules-based’ or machine learning
• Developing or adapting computational models of dynamic tissue organisation
• Detailed record keeping
• Presenting work to both Crick and external audiences
• Preparation of scientific manuscripts

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under in one building in Europe.

The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.

• If you are interested in applying for this role, please apply via our website.
• The closing date for applications is 09.07.2023
• All offers of employment are subject to successful security screening and continuous eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.