23 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Masaryk University, Czech Republic

The rapid development of digital pathology and AI-based modelling approaches offers a perfect opportunity for discovering novel biomarkers for precision oncology. Over the last decade, and benefitting from several national and international projects, our group acquired a large corpus of multimodal data related to colorectal cancer. In this context, the Postdoctoral Fellow will develop new machine learning/AI methods for finding predictive biomarkers from pathology images and combining them with other modalities, such as transcriptomics and metagenomics.

Cells employ protein liquid droplets to form dynamic clusters, which function as nanoreactors or storages with the increased local concentration of specific protein components. These membrane-less organelles self-assemble based on weak protein-protein interactions of intrinsically disordered domains. However, the role of specific sequences remains elusive and the mixing between different protein droplets unexplored.

This ERC-funded project aims to the droplets involved in genome transcription, where posttranslational modifications control the droplet composition and regulate the transcription. Expected findings are not only important for the general knowledge but could also be useful in the design of new treatments because translocation malfunction is involved in numerous diseases including cancer. The research is strongly coupled to collaborations with excellent experimental teams and will be more closely discussed during the interview. The employed tools will contain multi-scale simulations using a wide range of advanced sampling techniques and development of protein parametrization.

This ERC-funded project aims to the design of novel peptides and peptide aggregates able to induce spontaneous fusion. The peptides have been selected based on their biocompatibility and our exceptional experience with membrane-active peptides, including the design of de novo sequences based on the elucidated mechanism. The first step will be to develop a computational approach to determine the critical peptide properties required to destabilize or stabilize key fusion states: membrane stalk, hemifusion diaphragm, and fusion pore. These findings will then be used to de novo design peptide sequences where the fusogenic role of each amino acid is known, providing the key advantage for customization for vaccination and drug delivery. The computational results will be verified by fluorescence and electron microscopy.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work with experts from Masaryk University and other partner institutions on projects related to ageing, including Alzheimer’s disease, burden of disease, program evaluation, health claims data analysis and on the development of an economic-demographic microsimulation model.

The position will include collaborations with microeconomists, data scientists, biostatisticians, demographers, sociologists, clinicians and other experts, and primarily focus on peer-reviewed research and microsimulation model development.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work with experts from Masaryk University and other partner institutions on research projects related to labour market aspects of population ageing and/or social and regional peripheries. These projects explore a wide range of research topics covering discrimination, accessibility of healthcare and public services, and human and social capital effects and accumulation.  

This position offers a unique opportunity to work with experts from Masaryk University and other partner institutions on projects related to health and environmental aspects of ageing populations, inequality in access to healthcare and innovative therapies, burden of disease, social and environmental determinants of health, and the role of health status in the labour markets.

The position will include collaborations with microeconomists, data scientists, biostatisticians, demographers, sociologists, clinicians and other experts, and primarily focus on peer-reviewed research.

Dive deep into the biology of cancer cells by joining Stjepan Uldrijan Research Group. We’re on a mission to decipher molecular mechanisms controlling the oncogenic ERK signaling in malignant melanoma cells and contributing to melanoma resistance to targeted therapy. You will build on our recent breakthrough findings (Valcikova et al. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2321305121) that have the potential to translate into new, more efficient treatment options for this aggressive cancer.

A postdoc position is available at Lumír Krejčí Research Group, Laboratory of Recombination and DNA Repair, Department of Biology. The laboratory is devoted to fundamental studies in processing of stalled replication forks and how this process contributes to genome instability and disease development. Examples of the recently studied problems in our lab include (1) role of homologous recombination proteins in processing stalled replication forks, (2) role of phase separation in genome maintenance, (3) characterisation of Rothmund-Thomson helicase, (4) role of G4 structures in genome stability, and (5) identification and optimisation of novel nuclease inhibitors for improved therapy.

We are seeking a talented and motivated candidate to join a research team headed by Dr. Tomas Barta at Masaryk University, Faculty of Medicine (https://histology.med.muni.cz/bartalab).

Our lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind retinal development and disease using human pluripotent stem cells. We specialize in creating retinal organoids, “eye-like” organoids, and other retinal cell types to model eye development and associated disorders, with a particular interest in photoreceptor biology.

Dr. Zuzana Holubcová lab (Department of Histology and Embryology in Masaryk University Campus Brno) studies multiple aspects of mammalian oocyte and embryo development with a special focus on human reproductive biology and assisted reproduction. The research has a strong translational impact due to long-standing collaboration with local reproductive medicine centres and strong links to IVF professionals.

We are offering an opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher with a background in applying mathematical models to the study of the brain to join a newly established group at the First Department of Neurology at Masaryk University.

The goal of our research group is to create robust computational frameworks with which to better understand how information is processed across the vast range of scales observed in neuronal systems — i.e., from the microscopic (individual neuron), to mesoscopic (neuronal circuit) and macroscopic (entire brain regions). This is a timely and ambitious direction of research, as the rigorous physical frameworks that have pervaded all other fields of science and engineering have yet to make their impact on modern neuroscience.

The other main aim of our group is to use such frameworks to create cross-disciplinary bridges between computational and clinical neuroscience. Specifically, candidates should have an interest in applying computational methods to address the identification/intervention of epileptic seizures.

We are seeking a talented and motivated candidate to join our team to pursue the mechanisms and functions of primary cilia. The primary cilium is an antenna-like organelle that has emerged as a fundamental regulator of embryonic development as well as tissue homeostasis. Consequently, the deregulation of its assembly, maintenance, or function leads to numerous human diseases, collectively termed ciliopathies. It has been estimated that cilia dysfunctions are responsible for as many as 100 human diseases. However, the mechanistic explanation of primary cilia assembly and function, crucial for the understanding of cilia-related defects and their therapeutic targeting, is insufficient.  

• Our laboratory is focused on understanding the biology of glioblastoma with the ultimate goal of deciphering the molecular mechanisms driving this aggressive disease and setting up robust systems for drug testing and development. To achieve these goals, we use a variety of models, including glioblastoma cell lines, patient-derived samples, and advanced co-culture systems with human pluripotent stem cell-derived tumoroids.
• Our ongoing research includes single-cell sequencing of these co-culture systems, with future experiments centered around exploring the underlying molecular pathways and identifying potential treatment strategies. We aim to establish reproducible 3D systems for drug testing to assess the efficacy of new therapeutics.
• Our lab is an expert environment for studying stem cell biology and employing stem cell-based models for disease modeling in vitro. We have well-established methods and protocols for co-culture systems and are supported by active collaborations with clinicians who provide us with tumor samples.

Adequate electrical activity is vital for the proper mechanical function of the heart. Its disturbances resulting in arrhythmias are the basis of myocardial dysfunction in various cardiac pathologies. Our research group is working at the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University (MU; Brno, Czech Republic; https://www.med.muni.cz/o-fakulte/organizacni-struktura/pracoviste/fyziologicky-ustav/vyzkumna-skupina-markety-bebarove). We mostly focus on analysis of changes in cardiac cellular electrophysiology and mechanics caused by pharmacological agents or variants in genes encoding cardiac ionic channels and associated proteins, using both electrophysiological techniques (whole cell patch clamp and microelectrode array techniques) and optical analysis of cardiomyocyte contraction and Ca2+ transient. These studies proceed in tight cooperation with clinical cardiologists and geneticists from the University Hospital Brno. The experiments are performed on enzymatically isolated cardiomyocytes, cell lines expressing human cardiac ionic channels, and cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs).

 

(18) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position

Postdoc Fellowship Position summary/title: Postdoc Position in Cardiovascular Research on the Genetic Background of Hypercholesterolemia

Deadline : 31 Jan 2025

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We seek candidates with previous education and experience in microeconomics, econometrics, and experimental economics with a particular interest in research in the field of political economics or behavioral economics.  

This position offers a unique opportunity to work with experts from Masaryk University and other partner institutions on projects related to political and behavioral economics. These projects explore a wide range of research topics covering voting behavior, political preferences and biases, pro-social behavior, polarization, and many others. The position will include collaborations with theoretical and empirical economists, experimental economists, political scientists and other experts, and focus on peer-reviewed research.  

IRTIS, Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society (https://irtis.muni.cz) is an internationally renowned  research group that examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on individuals and groups. We put a strong emphasis on international and interdisciplinary collaboration and pursue research of the highest quality.

We are looking for a new colleague for the “DigiWELL – Excellence in Research on Digital Technologies and Wellbeing” project (project duration: 2024 – 2028). DigiWELL is a flagship project of IRTIS that aims to  understand the science behind digital well-being. Within the project, we study short- and long-term impacts of the use of digital technologies on the well-being of the general population, using state-of-the-art methods (e.g., longitudinal panels with multiple time points, ecological momentary assessment studies, eye tracking).

You will work in a team of young investigators that challenge major problems in the field of hematology. We do basic and translational science, but with the objective to help patients in the future (we have access to primary samples with hem. malignancies, and mouse models).

Transcription factors (TFs) regulate cell growth, development, and hematopoietic differentiation. Disruption of transcription mechanisms can lead to blood cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other B-cell cancers. Abnormal TF function, caused by dysregulation or genomic aberrations, often activates oncogenes through deregulated chromatin structures and altered enhancer/promoter activity in CLL. Post-translational modifications of TFs due to leukemia microenvironment signaling also contribute to disease progression.

This project explores the role of candidate TFs in B-cell malignancies, focusing on CLL, and evaluates targeted therapies using TF inhibitors or chromatin regulators. Several TFs potentially regulate B-cell survival, proliferation, and immune crosstalk. The PhD student will study these using genome editing (CRISPR), RNA sequencing, primary samples, and in vitro/in vivo mouse models, with implications for understanding therapy resistance.

Our research group focuses on non-coding RNAs and microenvironmental interactions of malignant B cells, supported by an ERC Starting grant (2019–2024) and GACR EXPRO (2025-2029). We identified novel regulators, including microRNAs critical for B cell functions, but the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) remains unclear. Our goal is to explore lncRNAs in B cell receptor (BCR) signaling and B-T cell interactions, with a focus on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), driven by BCR pathway and B-T cell abnormalities. These insights are relevant for other B cell malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and normal B cells.

We identified three candidate lncRNAs involved in CLL microenvironmental interactions. Using biochemical and cellular approaches, CRISPR interference, RNA pulldown, and a novel lncRNA knockout mouse model, we will study their molecular functions. One knockout mouse model is complete, and its phenotype will be analyzed alongside breeding with Eu-TCL1 CLL models. Primary patient samples will provide complementary data.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells and indolent lymphomas rely on microenvironmental signals for survival, proliferation, and therapy resistance. CLL cells undergo apoptosis in vitro, necessitating microenvironment models for long-term culture and proliferation studies. Existing in vitro and in vivo models, based on coculture with T-lymphocytes or stromal cells, mimic some aspects of the natural microenvironment but have limitations. 

This research aims to develop and optimize models replicating the lymphoid microenvironment to study new therapeutic strategies, including drugs targeting CLL proliferation, resistance mechanisms, and combinatory approaches not feasible in conventional cultures. A recently developed co-culture model enables robust CLL cell proliferation. Using primary patient samples and cell lines, the project will employ functional assays, RNA sequencing, genome editing, and drug screening to explore microenvironmental dependencies and resistance to targeted therapies.