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Position Overview
Your main responsibility will be to manage the prospective clinical study of Lyme Disease (LD) in children, known as the BRILLIANT study. This study aims to draw conclusions on the patho-mechanisms of LD and to identify new microbiological and immunological markers of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) infection.
Key Responsibilities
- Management of the BRILLIANT study: overseeing patient recruitment, scheduling follow-ups, processing and storing samples, extracting data from hospital records, and managing the study database (REDCap).
- Establishment of Bb cultures from clinical isolates: Optimizing protocols by improving qPCR screening procedures and culture conditions, and evaluating the usefulness of culture and qPCR for clinical diagnosis.
- Phenotyping the immune response in LD and Lyme Neuroborreliosis (LNB): Analyzing preliminary data and designing experiments to further investigate relevant immune cell subsets using flow cytometry, bead-based cytokine/chemokine assays, or single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) approaches.
- Identifying genotypes of Bb clinical isolates: Performing whole genome sequencing (WGS) on new Bb clinical isolates to determine genotypes and virulence factors associated with LD and LNB clinical subgroups.
In addition to your primary responsibilities, you will also be expected to:
- Write scientific manuscripts in English.
- Present results at internal meetings and training events.
- Participate in national and international conferences, including presenting your work.
- Supervise Master's students in Biomedicine and Pharmacy, if applicable.
Qualifications
- Master's degree (MSc) in medicine, biology, immunology, or a related field.
- Strong interest in clinical research; prior experience is a plus.
- Research interests in immunology, microbiology, and/or infectious diseases.
- Good understanding of statistics; experience with R is a plus.
- High motivation, ability to work independently, and strong written and oral communication skills.
- Proficiency in both German and English.
What We Offer
- The chance to work on a clinically relevant research project with tangible patient benefits.
- The opportunity to learn how to plan, organize, and conduct clinical studies in a hospital setting.
- A solid understanding of epidemiology, immunology, and microbiology of pediatric infectious diseases.
- Experience in modern laboratory techniques, including spectral flow cytometry, bead-based assays, scRNA-seq, microscopy, qPCR, and bacterial and mammalian culture.
We provide a dynamic, interdisciplinary team of physicians, study managers, and basic researchers, alongside a fully equipped workstation at the Children's Hospital Zurich research complex. You will have access to state-of-the-art shared facilities and benefit from direct supervision by a postdoctoral researcher. Opportunities for continuous education through courses, seminars, and workshops will also be available.
Application Process
To apply, please use the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered. We look forward to your application!
For inquiries, please contact:
Ismael Dellova de Campos
Koordination Doktoratsprogramm Clinical Science
Email: clinical-science@dekmed.uzh.ch