Post-Doctoral Fellowship Position in Biomolecular Spectroscopy – The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Professors Robin Turner and James Piret invite applications for a full-time post-doctoral fellowship position available in the field of bioanalytical Raman microspectroscopy and Raman chemical imaging.  We seek a highly qualified individual with a doctoral degree in chemistry or physics or engineering with an interest in developing process analytical technologies for cell therapy bioprocess applications.  Essential qualifications include experience measuring and analyzing Raman spectra of live or fixed cultured cells using a commercial Raman microspectroscopy instrument and common multivariate chemometric methods (e.g., principal component analysis).  Experience with MATLAB and LabVIEW software applications would be an asset.

For over 20 years our group has been investigating and develop novel Raman spectroscopy methods to probe the status of stem cells, Chinese hamster ovary and other cultured cell lines, as well as T-cells and red blood cells).  For the manufacturing of therapeutic proteins, Raman spectroscopy is already being used for industrial manufacturing on-line analysis of glucose, lactate and CHO cell concentrations, whereas we are developing this technology as a process analytical technology for the production of cells for therapy. The postdoctoral fellow will join a multidisciplinary team that is working on developing this technology in the context of producing T-cells for cancer therapy and pancreatic cells for the treatment of diabetes. We are funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and other sources.  A representative list of relevant publications is provided below.

The position will be for a two-year period with the possibility of renewal depending on funding.  To apply, submit an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae and full names and contact information for three referees under a covering letter providing a brief biography and summary of your qualifications and interests by email to RamanPDF@msl.ubc.ca.

Some relevant publications from our group, starting with a recent review:

S. Rangan, H.G. Schulze, M.Z. Vardaki, M.W. Blades, J.M. Piret and R.F.B. Turner, “Applications of Raman Spectroscopy in the Development of Cell Therapies:  State of the Art and Future Perspectives”, Analyst, 145:2070-2105, 2020.

H.G. Schulze, S. Rangan, M.Z. Vardaki, M.W. Blades, R.F. Turner and J.M. Piret, “Critical Evaluation of Spectral Resolution Enhancement Methods for Raman Hyperspectra”, Applied Spectroscopy, 76:61–80, 2022.

H.G. Schulze, S. Rangan, M.Z. Vardaki, D. Iworima, T. Kieffer, M.W. Blades, R.F.B. Turner and J.M. Piret, “Augmented Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy for the Joint Analysis of Correlated Changes in Spectroscopic and Disparate Sources”, Applied Spectroscopy, 75:520-530, 2021.

M.Z. Vardaki, D.V. Devine, K.S. Serrano, N. Simantiris, M.W. Blades, J.M. Piret J.M. and R.F.B. Turner, “Defocused Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy in Media of Different Optical Properties for Biomedical Applications Using a Commercial SORS Device”, Applied Spectroscopy, 74:223-232, 2020.

H.G. Schulze, S. Rangan, M.W. Blades, J.M. Piret and R.F.B. Turner, “Smoothing Raman spectra with contiguous single-channel fitting of Voigt distributions – an automated, high quality procedure”, Applied Spectroscopy, 73:47–58, 2019.

H M.Z. Vardaki, C.G. Atkins, H.G. Schulze, D.V. Devine, K. Serrano, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Raman spectroscopy of stored red blood cell concentrate within sealed transfusion blood bags”, Analyst, 143:6006-6013, December 2018.

S. Rangan, S. Kamal, S.O. Konorov, H.G. Schulze, M.W. Blades, R.F.B. Turner and J.M. Piret, “Types of Cell Death and Apoptotic Stages in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Distinguished by Raman Spectroscopy”, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 115:401-412, 2018.

G. Schulze, S. Rangan, J.M. Piret, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Developing Fully Automated Quality Control Methods for Preprocessing Raman Spectra of Biomedical and Biological Samples”, Applied Spectroscopy, 72:1322-1340, 2018.

C.G. Atkins, H.G. Schulze, D. Chen, D.V. Devine, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Using Raman Spectroscopy to Assess Hemoglobin Oxygenation in Red Blood Cell Concentrate: An objective proxy for Morphological Index to Gauge the Quality of Stored Blood?”, Analyst, 142:2199-2210, 2017.

C.G. Atkins, K. Buckley, D. Chen, H.G. Schulze, D.V. Devine, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Raman spectroscopy as a novel tool for monitoring biochemical changes and inter-donor variability in stored red blood cell units”, Analyst, 141:3319-3327, 2016.

S.O. Konorov, H.G. Schulze, B.K. Gage, T.J. Kieffer, J.M. Piret, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “The process analytical utility of Raman microspectroscopy in the directed differentiation of human pancreatic insulin-positive cells”, Analytical Chemistry, 87:10762-10769, 2015.

S.O. Konorov, H.G. Schulze, J.M. Piret, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Label-Free Determination of the Cell Cycle Phase in Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Raman Microspectroscopy”, Analytical Chemistry, 85:8996-9002, 2013.

S.O. Konorov, M.A. Jardon, J.M. Piret, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Raman microspectroscopy of live cells under autophagy-inducing conditions”, Analyst, 137:4662-4668, 2012.

S.O. Konorov, H.G. Schulze, N.J. Caron, J.M. Piret, M.W. Blades and R.F.B. Turner, “Assessing differentiation status of human embryonic stem cells non-invasively using Raman microspectroscopy”, Analytical Chemistry, 82:5020-5027, 2010.

This posting is for the UBC Vancouver campus in British Columbia, Canada.

Please refer to reference number NC-55868 during correspondence about this position. Please visit the researcher profiles of the supervisors (1, 2) for this position to learn more about their research.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

About UBC
The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.

Postdoctoral Fellows at UBC Vancouver
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About Vancouver
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