Computational Postdoc

Computational Postdoc Voest Lab (fully funded) — Spatial Decoding of Unconventional Antitumor Immunity in Colorectal Cancer

We are recruiting a computational postdoctoral fellow to spearhead a cutting-edge project building on our discovery that B2M-mutant, CD8-evasive colorectal cancers can show exceptional responses to immunotherapy. By integrating large-scale spatial transcriptomic and proteomic data from immunotherapy-treated MSI tumors, this project aims to uncover the principles of potent antitumor immunity beyond CD8 T cells. The postdoc will be a key driver of a central project within the Voest/van de Haar group at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.

Based on DRUP study data (Nature, 2019), we previously published about the clinical paradox that B2M-mutant colorectal cancers, which are invisible to CD8 T cells, show exceptional immunotherapy responses due to specific vulnerabilities to other immune cells (Nature, 2023). Here, we are recruiting a computational postdoctoral fellow to build upon this and spearhead a cutting-edge computational project, integrating large-scale spatial transcriptomic and proteomic data of microsatellite instable (MSI) colorectal cancers treated with immunotherapy. The aim is to use MSI cancers as a unique immunological case (very immunogenic, yet CD8 T cell evasive) to uncover the principles of powerful antitumor immunity beyond CD8 T cells, to directly inform the development of next-generation immunotherapies for CD8-evasive cancers.

Your role

The successful candidate will be expected to develop original analytical frameworks using best-in-class spatial profiling technologies, in close collaboration with experimentalists and clinician-scientists working on leading immunotherapy trials, as well as commercial partners in the drug development field. With this project, the candidate will have all the ingredients to build a visible scientific profile at the forefront of spatial immuno-oncology.

Projects are embedded in ongoing, data‑rich clinical trials and preclinical programs, where experimentalists, computational scientists and clinicians closely collaborate to make a real impact for patients. The NKI offers a world-class ecosystem with highly visible research groups and inspiring scientific mentors, strong core facilities and a vibrant international community in the heart of Amsterdam.

You will use a spatial lens to understand in great detail what each immune cell is doing within CD8-evasive yet highly immunogenic colorectal cancers. This will then be used to discover unique targetable components of an effective immune infiltrate for next-generation immunotherapies. You will then collaborate with a highly diverse team to bring your findings to patients.