Postdoctoral Position - Explore gene expression in healthy and diseased human neuronal networks using electrophysiology and spatial transcriptomics

The highly competitive Bio-Engineering Systems for Therapeutics (BEST) postdoc programme, part of the Next-gen Bioengineers initiative, is run jointly by the ETH Zurich and Roche Pharma Research and Early Development. The programme focuses on development of new tools and methods to resolve existing problems and come up with solutions for future challenges in medical translation and therapeutics.

Important hallmarks of both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders are alterations in gene expression and the electrical properties of neurons. An important objective of this project is to link changes in neuronal functional properties to gene expression at the single cell level. We will address this question by combining single-cell electrophysiology in human neurons, using high-density microelectrode array (HD-MEA) recordings, and spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomic measurements. The developed system will be applied to advanced human cellular models of healthy and mutant neurons.

The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in the optimization of cultures of human neurons obtained via transcription factor-mediated reprogramming, the functional characterization of these cells using MEA, optical imaging based on fluorescence in situ hybridization, single-nucleus RNA-sequencing, and the analysis of the obtained data. The candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary team working on related questions at two different locations, the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, and the Neuroscience and Rare Disease focus area at pRED, Roche. Both Departments are located in the City of Basel. Although the focus of this position is on research, the candidate will also be involved in supervising students and some teaching activities.

• PhD degree or equivalent in the fields of biology, biotechnology, computational sciences, biomedicine, biomedical engineering, biochemistry, pharmacy, and other related disciplines
• Interest in getting trained in next generation human model systems and electrophysiology
• Interest in interdisciplinary research at the campuses of Roche and ETH Zurich in Basel
• Prior experience with culturing of human iPSC-derived cellular models and MEA electrophysiology is welcome
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team, excellent organizational skills and high reliability
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are essential

• Exciting and highly innovative and collaborative research within the framework of Engineering Translational Medicine
• Co-supervision by ETH Zurich and Roche principal investigators
• Full access to the facilities and expertise at the campuses of Roche and ETH Zurich
• Support programme benefits (networking, career development)
• Regular seminars and joint symposia at ETH Zurich and Roche
• Fully funded fellowship for 3 years