Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer and Meiotic Proteins

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Medical Biology

Organisation/Company Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Medical Biology Research Field Biological sciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Final date to receive applications 31 Jul 2026 - 23:00 (UTC) Country Poland Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week To be defined Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer, Development and Non-Canonical Functions of Meiotic Proteins

Contract: 3 years in the first instance, with possibility of extension
Start date: Flexible
Salary: Competitive and highly attractive relative to the cost of living in Poland

The McClurg Laboratory at the Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join our growing research team in Łódź, Poland.

We are an internationally funded laboratory supported by an EMBO Installation Grant and multiple national and international research awards. Our work focuses on one of the most exciting emerging questions in cell biology:
why proteins thought to function exclusively during meiosis are reactivated in cancer and development, and how these unexpected "moonlighting" functions can be exploited to understand disease and develop new therapeutic strategies.

Our research sits at the interface of:

• Cancer biology
• Cell cycle regulation
• Cilia and centrosome biology
• Developmental biology

Recent work from the laboratory has been published in high-quality international journals, including Science Advances, and we are committed to conducting ambitious, mechanistic science that answers fundamental biological questions while maintaining a supportive and collaborative research environment.

One of the major advantages of this position is the combination of a competitive postdoctoral salary and the relatively low cost of living in Łódź.

A postdoctoral researcher employed on this project can expect to enjoy a standard of living that is increasingly difficult to achieve in many Western European university cities. Modern one-bedroom apartments can typically be rented for approximately €500–700 per month, while spacious two-bedroom apartments are commonly available for €700–1,000 per month depending on location and standard.

After accommodation and typical monthly living expenses, postdoctoral researchers can still expect to retain >50% of their salary for savings, travel, hobbies or family expenses.

Łódź offers an excellent balance between affordability and quality of life. The city combines a vibrant cultural scene, excellent restaurants and cafés, extensive green spaces and international schools.

For researchers seeking both scientific excellence and a high quality of life, Łódź offers an increasingly attractive alternative to many traditional European research hubs where housing costs consume a much larger proportion of postdoctoral salaries.

The successful candidate will contribute to projects investigating the non-canonical functions of synaptonemal complex proteins in cancer and normal development.

Depending on experience and interests, the postdoctoral researcher will have opportunities to develop independent research directions involving:

• Gene regulation and chromatin biology
• Centrosome and cilia biology
• Cancer cell biology
• CRISPR-based genetic engineering
• Advanced imaging approaches
• Proteomics and protein interaction mapping

We strongly encourage the successful candidate to develop their own scientific ideas, generate fellowship applications and build a pathway towards research independence.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and collaborative scientist who enjoys working as part of a team while also driving their own research programme.

Essential experience includes:

• PhD in cell biology, molecular biology, cancer biology, genetics, developmental biology or a related field
• Molecular cloning
• Mammalian tissue culture
• DNA transfection
• Western…