Ph.d. Fellow in Synthetic Biology (Id: 24000050)
Pubblicato il 07-08-2026 - Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia in Napoli
Italy In order to be admitted into the ARC program, the minimum requirements are i. a Masters-level degree, which broadly corresponds to a 4/5-year undergraduate MSc/MChem/Meng-style degree or to a postgraduate Masters in the British system, or to a second level University degree in Italy;
iii. where English is not the applicant’s first language, a valid IELTS (International English Language Testing System) certificate. The minimum acceptable score is an overall 6.5, with no less than 6.0 in any of the four categories Two PhD fellow positions **will be available from October 1st 2024** in the group of Synthetic and Systems Biology for Biomedicine led by Dr. **Velia Siciliano**. **Title of the project: Engineering immune cells for better tumor treatment.**
- Background_: The treatment of solid tumours remains challenging, with poor outcomes. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is strongly immune-suppressive, leading to the skewing of the cytotoxicity capacity of immune cells. Therefore, there is a pressing need for therapeutic interventions to transform cold tumours in hot tumours.
- Description_: Synthetic biology offers the potential to engineer immune cells that can reverse the cold tumours and establish novel methods of killing cancer cells. In this project the object is to establish novel genetic circuits that will help regulate the interaction between immune and cancer cells and modify the TME. **Main Supervisor**: Velia Siciliano.
(Synthetic and Systems Biology for Biomedicine)
- Essential expertise_:
i. Bioengineering ii. Synthetic Biology iii. Immunology iv. Molecular Biology
- Desirable expertise_:
i. Cancer Biology ii. Cell Biology **How to apply**. Prospective students must submit using the online form the following documents
- 2-page CV, which includes studies, expertise and achievements.
- 1-page research statement, which includes the choice of a project from the list above and a justification of the choice. Only if robustly justified, the student may signal their interest also for a second project, but there is no guarantee that this will be taken into account by the selection panel.
- A transcript of undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
- A valid IELTS certificate, obtained no more than two years before the proposed registration date.
- Contact details of two referees. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Please note that the data that you provide will be used exclusively for the purpose of professional profiles’ evaluation and selection, and in order to meet the requirements of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Your data will be processed by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, based in Genoa, Via Morego 30, acting as Data Controller, in compliance with the rules on protection of personal data, including those related to data security.