PhD Position in Cancer Immunology

PhD Position in Cancer Immunology

The Department of Biomedicine is a joint effort between the University of Basel and the University Hospitals Basel. It unites basic and clinical scientists to advance our understanding of health and disease and to develop pioneering therapies benefiting the lives of patients in areas of unmet need.

With more than 68 research groups and 800 employees, the Department of Biomedicine is the largest department at the University. We are located in the heart of Basel at 6 different locations. Be part of our future!

The position is available from September 1st, 2026, or upon agreement. Salary is according to SNSF guidelines.

Your position

The successful candidate will join a highly interdisciplinary research program investigating the role of anti-tumor immunity and therapy response.

Emerging evidence highlights innate immune cells such as neutrophils as key regulators of the tumor microenvironment, capable of both promoting and suppressing anti-tumor immunity. However, the developmental origin, plasticity, and regulatory mechanisms of distinct neutrophil states remain poorly understood.

This project aims to dissect the transcriptional, epigenetic, and metabolic programs that drive antitumoral neutrophil states.

The PhD project will involve:

• Investigation of neutrophil ontogeny and plasticity using murine tumor models and human patient samples
• Application of state-of-the-art single-cell multi-omics
• Functional dissection of key regulatory pathways
• Analysis of immune cell interactions, particularly neutrophil–T cell crosstalk
• Integration of experimental and computational approaches to uncover mechanisms of therapy response and resistance
• The overall goal is to identify novel therapeutic strategies to harness beneficial neutrophil states in cancer immunotherapy.

Selected publications of our lab include: Zippelius et al., Nat Rev Cancer 2025; Schmid et al., Nat Comm 2025; Fusi et al., Sci Transl Med 2025; Tundo et al., JITC 2024; Fernandez-Rodriguez et al., JITC 2023; Trefny et al, Nat Comm 2023; Kirchhammer et al., Sci Transl Med 2022; among others.

Your profile

• Strong interest in tumor immunology and innate immunity
• Master's degree in life sciences, immunology, or related field
• Experience in cellular immunology (flow cytometry, mouse models, or human samples) is highly desirable
• Interest or experience in single-cell omics / bioinformatics is an advantage
• Experience with molecular biology or metabolic assays is a plus
• Highly motivated, organized, and able to work independently
• Team-oriented mindset in an international research environment
• Fluency in English (spoken and written)

We offer you

• Integration into a structured PhD program at the University of Basel
• A highly innovative, interdisciplinary, and translational research project
• Access to cutting-edge technologies (single-cell multi-omics, advanced mouse models)
• A dynamic and collaborative environment in cancer immunology and immunotherapy
• Close interaction with clinical programs and patient samples
• Strong national and international collaborations
• Excellent opportunities for academic and career development