Application is open for 9 post-doc positions for Medical Scientists from any natural science and life science areas, including data science and bioinformatics. The University Medicine Essen Medical Scientist Academy (UMESciA) scientific activities are accompanied by a structured qualification programme and awarded with a certificate at the end of the 2 year programme. A selected number of candidates may enter into a second two-year funding phase, based on scientific merit and achievements. Parallel academic qualification towards habilitation is supported by UMESciA. W2-Professorship positions are planned to be created for excellent candidates after completion of the full 4 year programme.

These positions are ideal for candidates who have already published in high-ranking journals and now wish to continue their career at one of the leading cancer centers in Germany. You will be embedded into a vibrant network of translational researchers with active interconnection to the local German Cancer Consortium and Clinician Scientist Programmes.

The UMESciA is funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung.

Heterogeneity, Plasticity and Dynamics of the Response of Cancer Cells, Tumor and Normal Tissues to Therapeutic Radiation in Cancer. Our collaborative multidisciplinary approach represented by basic researchers, medical scientists and clinician scientists generates unique opportunities for creating synergies by enabling interactions and successful teamwork. With this strategy we expect a strong added value and a high potential for innovation in the emerging field of molecular personalisation in radiation oncology.

In doing so, the programme offers graduate students in the areas of biology, computational biology/bioinformatics and medicine the opportunity of obtaining a qualified multidisciplinary education and training in the basic, translational and clinical research aspects of the radiation sciences, precision medicine, and computational biology, as well as transferable professional and soft skills. The educational goal is to provide future basic and clinical scientists with the capability of addressing research questions related to radiation sciences in oncology in interdisciplinary research teams, to gain an understanding of biostatistics and data-driven or mechanistic computational modelling, and to establish a broad international network. Our comprehensive education will allow these scientists to advance the integration of biological insights from radiation sciences and precision cancer medicine into clinical concepts of radiation oncology in the future.

In the fight against cancer, radiation treatment is still one of the most effective therapies. Despite medical progress, in the case of particularly aggressive or very extensive tumors, only a part of the growth can be effectively controlled by irradiation when the tumor lies under the protection of normal tissue. Furthermore, too little is known about why people respond differently to radiotherapy and why undesirable side effects occur.

Financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG), in the new Research Training Group 2762 "Heterogeneity, Plasticity and Dynamics of the Response of Cancer Cells, Tumor and Normal Tissues to Therapeutic Radiation in Cancer", researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Biology will be working closely together. They will further investigate the mechanisms of individual radiation sensitivity of various tumors and tissues. The group is headed by Prof. Verena Jendrossek, and the DFG is funding the project with around 7 million Euros, starting 1 October 2022.