ERC-Funded Postdoctoral Researcher in Molecular Spatial Omics | EPFL

Laboratory: Molecular Spatial Omics Laboratory (Schueder Lab)

Expected

Start Date:

1 February 2027, with some flexibility

Research Areas:
Molecular Spatial Omics | Spatial Biology | DNA Nanotechnology | Super-Resolution Microscopy | Molecular Barcoding | Sequencing | Molecular Biology | Bioinformatics | Single-Molecule Imaging

The Molecular Spatial Omics Laboratory (Schueder Lab) at the School of Life Sciences, EPFL, is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Molecular Atlas Project (MAP), funded through an ERC Starting Grant.

The project focuses on developing innovative approaches that combine molecular barcoding, advanced microscopy, and sequencing to achieve comprehensive spatial mapping of biological systems.

The Molecular Spatial Omics Laboratory at EPFL develops technologies to reveal the molecular organization of biological systems with high spatial precision.

The laboratory combines approaches from:

• Molecular biology
• DNA nanotechnology
• Super-resolution microscopy
• Single-molecule imaging
• Molecular barcoding
• Quantitative image analysis
• Computational analysis

The research aims to develop technologies capable of mapping molecular information within biological systems at increasingly comprehensive scales.

The selected postdoctoral researcher will work with Dr. Florian Schueder on the Molecular Atlas Project (MAP).

The project aims to develop new technologies that combine molecular barcoding, advanced microscopy, and sequencing for comprehensive spatial mapping of biological systems.

The research will progress from controlled proof-of-concept experiments toward increasingly large-scale molecular mapping applications.

The project includes:

• DNA nanotechnology-based proof-of-concept experiments
• Development of the core technologies of MAP
• Combining DNA-PAINT and FLASH-PAINT
• Super-resolution microscopy
• Molecular biology and sequencing
• Progression toward transcriptome- and proteome-scale applications
• Computational analysis and quantitative data interpretation

A central goal of the project is to develop technologies capable of determining where molecular components are located within biological systems while maintaining high molecular specificity and spatial resolution.

The research will investigate approaches combining:

• Molecular barcoding
• DNA-based technologies
• Spatial molecular mapping
• Quantitative image analysis
• Computational approaches

These technologies will contribute toward comprehensive molecular atlases of biological systems.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the development of DNA-based technologies for spatial molecular analysis.

Research activities may include:

• DNA nanotechnology
• DNA-based molecular barcoding
• Controlled DNA-based proof-of-concept experiments
• DNA-PAINT
• FLASH-PAINT
• Molecular biology
• Sequencing-based approaches
• Development of technologies for spatial molecular mapping

The project provides an opportunity to work at the interface of DNA nanotechnology, microscopy, molecular biology, and spatial omics.

Advanced microscopy is a major component of the Molecular Atlas Project.

The research will involve technologies and approaches related to:

• Super-resolution microscopy
• Single-molecule fluorescence
• DNA-PAINT
• FLASH-PAINT
• Quantitative imaging
• Image analysis

The candidate will contribute to the development and application of imaging technologies for high-resolution molecular mapping.

An important long-term objective of MAP is to progress from controlled proof-of-concept experiments toward transcriptome- and proteome-scale applications.

The research will therefore combine experimental technology development with:

• Molecular biology
• Spatial mapping
• Computational analysis
• Quantitative image analysis

This interdisciplinary approach will help establish new strategies for comprehensive spatial analysis of biological systems.

The project also involves computational analysis of imaging and molecular data.

Potential research activities include:

• Quantitative image analysis
• Analysis of super-resolution microscopy data
• Computational analysis of large-scale datasets
• Integration of imaging and sequencing information

Candidates with computational experience may therefore contribute to the development of quantitative spatial omics approaches.

The ideal candidate will be a motivated and experienced scientist interested in developing new technologies at the interface of molecular biology, microscopy, DNA…