MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

advanced laboratories supporting R&D, biotechnological innovation, and interdisciplinary research, and actively participates in national and international collaborative projects. A key strength of the University is its close integration with large-scale clinical infrastructure.

HOST DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION:

Main Research Areas:

• Multi-omics profiling of human gliomas, encompassing epitranscriptomic (m6A) modifications, coding and non-coding transcriptomes, epigenomic landscapes, and liquid biopsy biomarkers to identify novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets.
• Molecular and cellular mechanisms of the glioma microenvironment, including cell–cell interactions and extracellular signaling networks.
• Precision oncology approaches for glioblastoma through integrated molecular profiling and biomarker-guided therapeutic stratification.
• Molecular characterization of meningiomas for personalized prediction of stereotactic radiosurgery response and clinical outcomes.

Ongoing projects:

• Creating a framework for personalized therapy using molecular, immunological, and radiological markers for patients with intracranial meningiomas.
• Integration of liquid biopsy and radiomics for developing a personalized glioblastoma treatment model
• Molecular response of neural stem cells to the extracellular vesicles secreted by cells of different brain pathologies

Collaboration:

• McMaster Univeristy, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, prof. dr. Sheila K. Singh laboratory (Canada)
• Department of Integrated Oncology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, prof. dr. Amit Sharma (Germany)
• Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, prof. dr. Bozena Kaminska (Poland)
• National Cheng Kung University, Department of Food Safety/Hygiene and Risk Management, prof. dr. Chen, Chien-Sheng (Taiwan)
• Medical University of Gdańsk, Department of Histology, assoc. Prof. dr. Tomasz Ślebioda (Poland)

SUPERVISOR DESCRIPTION:

Dr. Giedrius Steponaitis research activities:

• Molecular profiling of human gliomas (epitranscriptome (m6A) screening of lncRNAs, mRNAs, transcriptomics, epigenomics, blood cfDNA methylation);
• GBM-NSC communication via extracellular vesicles signaling;
• Tumor stemness and microenvironment (primary tumor stem cells, neural stem cells, ex vivo drug testing);

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9747-6272

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Giedrius-Steponaitis-2?ev=prf_overview

POSSIBLE RESEARCH TOPICS FOR MSCA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP APPLICANTS:

Liquid biopsy-based epigenomic profiling of brain tumors: leveraging cell-free DNA methylation signatures for personalized treatment and clinical decision-making.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL SKILLS OF APPLICANTS:

Required:

• Strong bioinformatics skills, including proficiency in command-line (Linux/Unix) environments for data processing and analysis (Experience in working with high performance computing (HPC) servers; Experience in working with HPC queue systems (Slurm); Experience in designing and maintaining pipeline management softwares (Snakemake, Nextflow); Experience in working with virtual containers (Docker, Apptainer)).
• Experience in the analysis of high-throughput sequencing data. Familiarity with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing data preprocessing and downstream analysis is highly desirable.

Desirable:

• Hands-on experience in molecular biology techniques, including RNA/DNA sequencing workflows and protein analysis.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture models.
• Familiarity with advanced imaging platforms and molecular detection technologies.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• Strong scientific communication and academic writing skills.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Supported fellows must be in possession of PhD at the call deadline (September 9, 2026).
2. Have up to 8 years experience in research from the date of award of the doctoral degree at the call deadline.
3. Fellows must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Lithuania for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline.

Please check the conditions and your eligibility at the following link: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

An expression of interest shall be sent directly to dr. Giedrius Steponaitis (e-mail: giedrius.steponaitis@lsmu.lt) latest at 14/08/2026. Contacting the supervisor, please provide:

1. Curriculum Vitae.
2. List of publications.
3. A brief outline of the proposed research project with defined objectives (max 2 pages).
4. Motivation letter.