Our budget is limited, and so we sadly were not able to consider several great candidates with impressive CVs. If you were among them then I do hope you are not too disappointed now, and I would like to thank you once more for your efforts, and I wish you all the best for your future carreer. Please check out http://www.idsia.ch/jobs?status=open for new job openings.
Marco Zaffalon
IOSI
Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Dep. of Experimental Oncology
Via Vincenzo Vela 6, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
IDSIA
Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence
Galleria 2, CH-6928 Manno (Lugano), Switzerland
We are looking for an outstanding person to work with for a new functional
genomics facility. The position will offer the opportunity to do top-level research
on genomics, both at applied and theoretical level, leading ultimately to establish
a group of excellence in bioinformatics with strong competence in data mining
and molecular biology. The functional genomics facility comprises an Affymetrix
system and a Packard/Perkin Elmer ScanArray Express scanner for spotted/customised
microarrays.
The person will interact with Francesco Bertoni and other people at the Experimental Oncology Dept. of IOSI, the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, and with Marco Zaffalon and other people at IDSIA, the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Manno (Lugano), Switzerland. The work will be mainly based in the Experimental Oncology Departmement of the IOSI, which is inside IRB, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, and, to a lesser extent, at IDSIA. The person will be involved in international research activities.
Possible backgrounds are bioinformatics, computer science, physics, engineering, mathematics, statistics, etc. The ideal candidate will have either a Ph.D. in one of the former fields, or a M.Sc. degree followed by 2-3 years of experience with data mining and statistics. Strong skills in Bayesian statistics and Bayesian network modelling would be a plus. Knowledge of molecular biology and genomics is not required but preferred. The ideal candidate will also be strongly skilled in computer science (e.g., C, C++, Java programming, deep knowledge of common operating systems such as Unix, Windows), and very experienced with data mining and statistical packages.
The initial appointment will be for 2 years, starting in autumn 2003. English is the official language at IRB and IDSIA.
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APPLICATION DEADLINE
======================
31 August 2003.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
======================
Applicants should submit:
(i) Detailed curriculum vitae
(ii) List of three references (and their email addresses)
(iii) Transcripts of undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) studies
(iv) Concise statement of their research interests (two pages max).
Please mail all correspondence to:
Prof. Franco Cavalli, Direttore Medico IOSI, Ospedale San Giovanni, 6500 Bellinzona,
Switzerland.
Applications can also be submitted by fax (+41 (0)91 811 90 44) or by email to oncosg@siak.ch (2MB max). WWW pointers to ps/pdf/doc/html files are welcome. Use Firstname.Lastname.DocDescription.DocType for filename convention.
Thanks for your interest.
Franceso Bertoni, Responsible of the functional genomics/molecular pathology
unit, IOSI.
Marco Zaffalon, Senior researcher, IDSIA.
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF IOSI
=========================
Since 1988 the Division of Medical Oncology of the IOSI has had an active research
laboratory. The major goal of the laboratory has been to study the biology and
molecular genetics of lymphomas, in conjunction with the clinical programs of
bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplantation. All major molecular and
cell biology techniques as well as immunophenotyping of lymphoma and leukemia
were established and are currently employed in the laboratory. Researchers at
the IOSI laboratory began to study genetic and molecular rearrangements as diagnostic
and prognostic markers in non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). The laboratory has
been particularly active in the study of the biology of low-grade NHL, and the
pathogenesis of MALT lymphomas has been a major focus of the last few years.
With the expansion in laboratory space and personnel, new research programs
on solid tumours and molecular pharmacology have been initiated in addition
to the existing programs on NHL. These studies promise to shed light into basic
mechanisms of tumorigenesis and provide insights for development of novel therapeutic
and preventive strategies for cancer.
The overall goals of the laboratory’s research programs in molecular pathology
and functional genomics are to analyze prognostic and diagnostic molecular markers,
identify predictive markers of response to therapeutic and preventive agents,
monitor pharmacodynamic responses to new agents in clinical trials, and identify
novel molecular therapeutic targets for cancer disorders. These goals will be
accomplished by using state-of-the-art methodologies, including gene expression
profiling by microarray, conventional and real-time RT-PCR, genomic sequencing,
molecular cytogenetics, and immunohistochemistry.
In addition, the laboratory plans to establish, in conjunction with the clinical
research units, a tumour tissue bank of paraffin-embedded and snap-frozen specimens
from patients enrolled in all clinical trials carried out at the IOSI. The laboratory
is fully equipped to carry out all standard cell biology and molecular biology
techniques.
Dr. Catapano
is the scientific director of the laboratory, while Dr.
Bertoni is responsible of the functional genomics/molecular pathology unit.
This unit currently consists of four investigators with expertise in the areas
of molecular biology, cytogenetics, microarray analysis. Other laboratory personnel
will assist and complement the molecular pathology unit as needed.
All the equipment needed for more advanced genetic and molecular biology-based
research is also available, including ABI 310 nucleic acid sequencer, ABI 7700
Real Time PCR, Affymetrix GeneChip system, Agilent Bioanalyzer, Packard/PE ScanArray
Express scanner for spotted microarrays and arrayCGH, and BX61 Olympus system
for classic and molecular (M-FISH) cytogenetics.
==========================
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF IDSIA
==========================
IDSIA is a joint research institute of the University
of Lugano and the Swiss Italian University
for Applied Science. Our research focuses on uncertain reasoning, imprecise
probabilities, graphical models, data mining, artificial neural nets, reinforcement
learning, complexity and generalization issues, unsupervised learning and information
theory, forecasting, artificial ants, combinatorial optimization, evolutionary
computation. IDSIA is small but visible, competitive, and influential. The "X-Lab
Survey" by Business Week Magazine ranked IDSIA among the world's top ten
labs in Artificial Intelligence. IDSIA's algorithms hold the world records for
several important operations research benchmarks (see Nature 406(6791):39-42
for an overview of artificial ant algorithms developed at IDSIA).
IDSIA develops and participates in projects funded by the Swiss
National Science Foundation, by the European Commission and by the Swiss Commission
for Technology and Innovation. IDSIA also consults private firms and enterprises.
IDSIA (see our
building) is located near the Swiss supercomputing center. IDSIA is close
to the beautiful city of Lugano
in Ticino, the scenic southernmost
province of Switzerland. Zurich,
Milan and Venice are only few hours by train from Lugano.
