Research Fellow (Ref:DSSOPC-Microbiology)

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the Programme in Translational and Clinical Liver Cancer Research, led by Prof Pierce Chow, tenured Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School and NMRC STaR Awardee. Our Program spans the entire spectrum of Liver Cancer scientific investigations from translational research to randomized controlled trials.

A part of the research focuses on an integrative research project focused on understanding the relationship between the gut microbiome and systemic metabolism in liver related metabolic diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression as well as response to HCC therapies. Utilizing shotgun metagenomic sequencing of stool samples and plasma metabolomics, we aim to identify predictive microbial and metabolic signatures of disease and therapeutic response. The candidate will also have the opportunity to leverage on insights from other omics including bulk tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS), cfDNA NGS, single cell RNAseq and proteomics, CyTOF, 3D spatial transcriptomics and targeted/untargeted metabolomics in the context of a clinical cohort. The next phase involves validating these findings using wet-lab techniques and germ-free or humanised mouse models.

The candidate should be highly motivated with expertise in microbiome-host interactions, microbial culturing, and in vivo functional studies with a focus on the gut-liver axis, host–microbe–tumor interactions, and microbial immunomodulation in liver carcinogenesis to join our interdisciplinary team. The successful candidate will identify potential leads from patient’s profiling data, lead experimental validations and contribute to the mechanistic understanding of microbial influence on HCC development or therapeutic response. 

The candidate will assist the Principal Investigator in conceptualizing and conducting research projects, responsible for the coordination and management of the microbiome projects of the multidisciplinary study, and to lead grant applications and manuscript preparation.

The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic and collaborative research environment, working closely with bioinformaticians, clinicians, and researchers involved in ongoing clinical trials. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge cancer biology research, with the potential to directly impact therapeutic strategies for HCC patients.

Your responsibilities will include:
- Design and perform microbiological and molecular biology experiments.
- Culture and characterize bacterial and/or viral agents implicated in liver disease progression or therapy response.
- Work with mouse models of HCC, including microbiota-colonized and germ-free systems.
- Design and execute microbiota transfer or metabolite supplementation experiments in mouse models (e.g., germ-free or tumor models) and monitor tumor development, liver pathology, and immune/metabolic responses.
- Collaborate with investigators across disciplines, including cancer biology, microbiome research, immunology, and clinical hepatology.
- Interpret profiling data using domain knowledge in microbiome.
- Analyze experimental results and draw meaningful conclusions.
- Lead publication and grant application effort alongside PI.

Requirements:
- PhD (or MSc with strong research experience) in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or related discipline.
- Experience with the following will be essential:
   - Flow cytometry, ELISA and/or immunohistochemistry.
   - Microbiology or host–microbe interaction research, ideally with relevance to cancer, liver diseases, or inflammation.
   - Microbial culture, molecular techniques (e.g., DNA/RNA extraction, qPCR, PCR, gel electrophoresis), and cell-based assays.
   - Animal models, especially germ-free or humanised mouse models.
- Knowledge in other statistical packages or programming languages will be an advantage.
- Strong desire in publishing high impact factor papers and applying for grant.
- Possess excellent analytical, technical and problem-solving skills.
- Well organized and detail oriented.
- Ability to coordinate diverse groups of people.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to work independently and interactively in a team setting, motivated, responsible and a fast learner.