Postdoc cytokine-induced enhancer activation in macrophages

You will investigate cytokine signaling pathways in macrophages, beyond the known JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Cytokines shape the macrophage’s phenotype, thereby affecting disease states. Puzzlingly, many cytokines with opposing functions, utilize highly similar JAK-STAT signaling cascades, leaving it unclear how cytokine-specific responses can occur.

The goal is to reveal novel, cytokine-specific factors regulating macrophage cytokine responses.

Your main tasks and responsibilities within this project are:

• identifying transcription factors that regulate macrophage cytokine responses using a natural genetic variation screen;
• validating and functionally testing the identified transcription factors by knockdown/knockout strategies on the cytokine responses of macrophages;
• next to cell culture experiments, using and analyzing state-of-the-art approaches such as RNA-sequencing and ChIP-sequencing analysis;
• translating your findings to disease models;
• aligning these findings with human disease.

• You have a PhD in biomedical sciences;
• You have experience in molecular biology, immunology and transcriptional regulation;
• You have experience in transcriptomic and genomic data analysis and bioinformatics;
• You have excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral;
• You are an enthusiastic team player with positive social skills.