Postdoctoral Scholar - job 1 of 2

Department Overview

The Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) center is a collaborative institution within the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. The Knight Cancer Institute, known as one of the pioneers in personalized cancer medicine, is an international leader in research and cancer treatment. At CEDAR our mission is to detect and stop lethal cancers at the earliest stage because early detection saves lives. This is an ambitious goal, one that requires novelty, creativity, and innovation. We are comprised of biologists, chemists, biomedical engineers, computationalists, and clinicians conducting groundbreaking translational cancer research to help people maintain a high quality of life and reduce cancer mortality, to create a global early detection community, and to have a positive impact on the Oregon economy.

 

Our Commitment to Diversity: CEDAR is committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community. We are dedicated to promoting inclusion and multiculturalism by having outstanding researchers of diverse backgrounds work together on multiple projects. We encourage high-risk, high-reward research projects because defeating cancer requires out-of-the-box thinking and new perspectives. Our research is milestone-driven to ensure that each project is fulfilling its stated goals.

 

Every Knight Cancer employee is expected to embody our guiding principles: 

• We act BOLDLY—Breakthroughs require pushing the boundaries of science, exploring new frontiers, and thinking differently
• We SUPPORT each other—Respect leads to trust, which leads to excellence
• We work as a CONNECTED team—We must leverage our collective brain power to conquer cancer because no one individual can do it alone

Function/Duties of Position

This postdoctoral position is an exciting opportunity to develop cutting-edge stimuli-responsive biomaterials and biofabrication approaches for modeling cancer progression and directing cell processes in tissue engineering. The Schutt Ibsen Energy-Responsive Biomaterials Group is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation with the mission of developing responsive biomaterial systems to advance our understanding of cancer progression and guide tissue repair and regeneration.

 

A successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Schutt Ibsen and other researchers within the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) Center to advance key technology platforms involving stimuli-responsive hydrogel scaffolds for 3D culture, 3D bioprinting with responsive bioinks, and novel drug delivery nanomaterials. The candidate will also have opportunities to engage in projects with the Knight Precision Biofabrication Hub, utilizing high-end 3D-printing and biofabrication equipment to build complex tissue models.

 

We are currently hiring highly motivated fellows with expertise in Biomaterials and Biofabrication to work in the following general areas:

• Stimuli-responsive hydrogel scaffolds for 3D cell culture – developing new “smart” hydrogel-based materials for applications in tumor modeling and tissue engineering. This work will explore the use of physical-stimuli responsive biomaterial scaffolds that enable spatiotemporal control of cue delivery (Lowrey et al. 2024; Gelmi and Schutt 2021; Nele, Schutt et al. 2020). Includes modification and functionalization of hydrogel polymer systems, cell and spheroid/organoid culture within 3D engineered scaffolds and use of imaging and characterization techniques including confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence imaging. This position will utilize high-end instrumentation with access to the OHSU Advanced Light Microscopy Core and Multiscale Microscopy Core.
• 3D bioprinting and biofabrication of complex tissue constructs – development of complex multi-typic biofabricated systems for applications in modeling tumor progression and instructing tissue repair. Includes development and modification of bioinks, including novel ultrasound-responsive bioinks developed by our group (Lowrey et al. 2024), fabrication of vascularized and immune cell-containing structures (Visalakshan et al. 2023), and utilization of various biofabrication techniques (e.g. FRESH bioprinting, coaxial bioprinting, microfluidic chip fabrication). This work will also include advanced imaging and materials characterization approaches.
• Drug and gene delivery nanomaterial engineering – fabrication and functionalization of nano and micro-particles, including stimuli-responsive particles (Huynh et al. 2025; Schutt et al. 2017; Schutt et al. 2014) for delivery of small molecule, protein, or nucleic acid cargoes. This will include characterization via techniques including NTA, DLS/zetasizer, super-resolution microscopy, and electron microscopy via state-of-the-art instrumentation.

 

Our work in these areas has received multiple awards (e.g. Biomedical Engineering Society Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator Award, NSF CAREER Award, and others) and has been featured in the media:

Highlight in The Scientist: https://www.the-scientist.com/tuning-cancer-therapywith-acoustic-drug-delivery-72721

OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Blog Highlight: https://blogs.ohsu.edu/cancertranslated/2021/01/28/engineering-models-of-early-cancer-qa-with-carolyn-schutt-ibsen/

Required Qualifications

Education and experince:

M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or Ph.D.

Minimum of 3 years as a graduate student

Specialty: Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials, Engineering, Chemistry/Materials Chemistry, Cell Biology or related field

 

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Excellent communication, analytical and organizational skills

Ability to work independently and as part of a team while being collaborative in resolving problems

Passion for science and inquiry

Ability to synthesize one’s own results and others to formulate hypotheses

Ability to prioritize multiple tasks at one time

Must possess energy and drive to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously

Ability to use tact and diplomacy to maintain effective working relationships

Preferred Qualifications

Ability to synthesize scientific projects and communicate science to diverse audiences

Experience with cell culture

Experience with fluorescence microscopy

Experience with hydrogel or matrix biomaterials

Experience with data analysis

Additional Details

Apply online. Please be sure to upload a Cover Letter and Resume/CV.

 

We offer a variety of benefits on top of joining a thriving organization:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage at no or low cost to employees
  • Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents
• Several retirement plans to choose from with contributions from OHSU
• 120 hours of vacation time per year
• 96 hours of sick leave a year (prorated for part-time employees)
• 9 paid holidays per year
• Commuter subsidies
• Tuition reimbursement
• Access to group life insurance, disability insurance and other supplemental benefits
• Annual Raises
• Growth/Development Opportunities
• Employee discounts to local and major businesses

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All are welcome

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu.