Postdoc Oppor­tu­nities: Cancer Genomics for Regulatory RNA Thera­peutics

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for a challenge at the forefront of cancer, genome editing and RNA thera­peutics?

The Laboratory for Genomics of Long Noncoding RNAs and Disease (GOLD Lab) is hiring! Based in the Conway Institute at University College Dublin (Ireland), we are an inter­di­sci­plinary team of passionate resear­chers dedicated to under­standing the roles of long non-protein-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in disease. We love to create new tools based on CRISPR-Cas genome editing and bioin­for­matics to discover new and interesting lncRNAs. We parti­cipate actively in major inter­na­tional consortia (Genomics England, GENCODE, FANTOM).

We strive to foster a supportive, colla­bo­rative, successful and fun lab community.

The Project: We have openings for two Postdoc­toral Resear­chers funded by a presti­gious Research Ireland (SFI) Frontiers for the Future Award. This project will inves­tigate how tumour mutations act through lncRNAs to drive cancer, and how we can harness this for novel therapies. Our unique dataset is 16,000 whole tumour genomes from Genomics England. We will apply cutting edge methods including advanced genome editing (Prime editing, CRISPRi), oligo­nu­cleotide thera­peutics and machine learning. The project will benefit from world-leading Colla­bo­rators Catriona Dowling (RCSI, disease modelling) and Colm Ryan (UCD, computer science).

We are recruiting two distinct profiles:

🧬 Postdoc 1: Experi­mental Researcher

You will lead the biolo­gical discovery and thera­peutic proof-of-concept aspects.

• Respon­si­bi­lities: High-throughput genome editing for functional screening, validation in advanced models including 3D spheroids and in vivo, and pre-clinical testing of antisense oligo­nu­cleo­tides (ASOs).
• Requi­re­ments: Strong background in molecular/cancer cell biology. Experience with genome editing, RNA biology, or functional cancer assays is highly desirable.

💻 Postdoc 2: Bioin­for­matic Researcher

You will lead the compu­ta­tional discovery and mecha­nistic prediction of driver mutations using patient cohort data.

• Respon­si­bi­lities: Driver gene discovery from 16,000+ tumours, multi-omic integration to predict molecular mecha­nisms, processing NGS data from genome editing screens.
• Requi­re­ments: PhD in Bioin­for­matics, Compu­ta­tional Biology, Statistics or similar. Profi­ciency in Python/R and experience working in a scien­tific computing environment. Experience with cancer genomics, molecular evolution or NGS data analysis is highly desirable.

We are searching for colla­bo­rative, independent, self-motivated creative thinkers.

What we offer:

• A high-profile project bridging basic genomics and trans­la­tional thera­peutics.
• Compe­titive salary (See Research Ireland scale at https://www.sfi.ie/funding/sfi-policies-and-guidance/budget-finance-related-policies/SFI-Team-member-scales_Jan-2024-to-Jun-2026.pdf).
• Access to state-of-the-art infra­structure at UCD Conway Institute.
• A vibrant, social, and inclusive lab environment including annual Retreats.

To Apply: Send your CV and a brief motivation message to Dr. Rory Johnson (rory.johnson [at] ucd.ie) with the subject line “RIBOn­cology Recruitment”. Please indicate clearly which role you are applying for and where you heard about this oppor­tunity. Informal enquiries are welcome. Inter­views are envisaged to take place in April 2026, and the project will commence there­after.

Website: https://www.gold-lab.org/ Twitter: @GOLDLab_UCD

Selected recent publi­ca­tions:

• Targeting and engineering long non-coding RNAs for cancer therapy. Coan et al. Nature Reviews Genetics (2024).
• Tumour mutations in long noncoding RNAs enhance cell fitness. Esposito, Lanzós et al. Nature Commu­ni­ca­tions (2023).
• Multi-hallmark long noncoding RNA maps reveal non-small cell lung cancer vulnerabi­lities. Esposito, Polidori et al. Cell Genomics (2022).
• Analyses of non-coding somatic drivers in 2,658 cancer whole genomes. Rheinbay et al. (PCAWG Consortium). Nature (2020).

(Full publi­cation list here: https://tinyurl.com/goldlabpubs)

Website: https://www.gold-lab.org/

Twitter: @GOLDLab_UCD