The ideal candidate will have experience in both computation and experimentation, and demonstrate methods to connect the two. Studies will be focused on pathways that control drug sensitivity of cancer cells, with a focus on Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC). The candidate should ideally possess preexisting knowledge that includes, but is not restricted to the following: metabolism, programmed cell death, or the Notch signaling network. Scientific writing ability is definitely a plus; candidate must be a team player.

The Vanderbilt University Center for Cancer Systems Biology is part of the national Cancer Systems Biology Consortium. The overarching goal of our Center is to produce a quantitative understanding of plasticity and dynamics of cancer cell subtypes in SCLC, as we believe this knowledge holds the promise of major advances in treatment. Both genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to tumor heterogeneity. Furthermore, multidirectional interactions of distinct tumor cell subtypes amongst themselves and with host cells shape the evolutionary trajectory of a tumor, including its metastatic properties. Thus, heterogeneity is a complex, multi-scale problem (from genes to molecules to cells to tissues), intrinsically unsuitable to reductionist approaches. Rather, we consider a systems-level approach to current challenges, which include: 1) identifying useful quantitative metrics of a tumor phenotypic space; 2) defining deterministic and stochastic components of heterogeneity at molecular and cellular levels; 3) deriving emergent tumor subtype dynamics from single-cell behavior; and 4) designing effective treatment strategies based on this system-level knowledge.