The Spatial Biotechnology Group is looking for a talented and highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to work at the interface between experimental and computational biology, building automated, closed-loop workflows. The position is part of our effort to understand how cells spatially organize to drive solid tumor development, and it brings together three fast-moving fronts: spatial proteomics, lineage tracing technologies, and laboratory automation. The successful candidate will design and execute robot-driven experiments and will analyze the resulting spatial data, closing the loop between experimental design, automated execution and data-driven decisions about what to run next. This is an opportunity for a hybrid scientist who wants to help define how a self-driving biology laboratory works. Main tasks and

responsibilities:
Antes de solicitar este puesto, por favor, lea la siguiente información sobre esta posibilidad que encontrará a continuación.
* Design, build and validate automated liquid-handling workflows on an Opentrons Flex platform (Python API).
* Establish and run spatial proteomics on in vitro co-cultures, engineered 3D tumor models and tissue sections.
* Implement clonal barcoding and lineage tracing readouts, including in situ detection and debarcoding of individual clones.
* Scale perturbation experiments to high-throughput formats, integrating robotics, automated microscopy and sample tracking into reproducible end-to-end pipelines.
* Develop and apply computational pipelines for image processing, cell segmentation, debarcoding and spatial statistics.
* Close the experimental-computational loop, using analysis results to guide the design of the next round of automated experiments (design of experiments, active learning).
* Ensure reproducibility and FAIR data practices: version-controlled code,



documented protocols, structured metadata and open sharing of tools.
* Present results at internal meetings and international conferences, and contribute to manuscript preparation.
* Apply for competitive postdoctoral fellowships and, later, for independent career awards, with full support from the group and from IBEC's grants office in preparing the proposals.
* Collaborate closely with experimental and computational colleagues within the group and with external partners, and co-supervise students working on related tasks. Requirements for candidates:
* A PhD in life sciences, bioengineering, biotechnology, computational biology or a related discipline.
* Solid hands-on wet-lab experience (mammalian cell culture, molecular biology and/or imaging-based assays).
* Programming proficiency in Python and/or R.
* Demonstrated experience in the analysis of large imaging and/or omics datasets.
* Strong interest in laboratory automation and in making experiments scalable, traceable and reproducible.
* Ability to work independently, take initiative and solve complex problems across the experimental-computational interface.
* Willingness to work in a highly multidisciplinary environment.
* Competencies and skills needed: communication, teamwork, proactivity, commitment, integrity, time management, critical and analytical thinking, precision, and focus.
* Full professional proficiency in English (written and spoken). Advantageous:




* Hands-on experience with liquid-handling robots (Opentrons Flex or OT-2, Hamilton, Tecan) and their Python APIs.
* Experience with spatial proteomics (e.g., iterative immunofluorescence, PhenoCycler/CODEX, imaging mass cytometry, MIBI) or with spatial transcriptomics.
* Experience with DNA barcoding, lineage tracing, CRISPR screens or other high-throughput perturbation approaches.
* Experience with quantitative image analysis and deep learning tools for segmentation and classification (e.g., Cellpose, napari, scikit-image, PyTorch).
* Experience with 3D culture systems, organoids or microfluidic devices.
* Familiarity with workflow managers (Nextflow, Snakemake), containers (Docker, Singularity) and high-performance computing environments.
* Interest in AI-assisted experimental design, self-driving laboratories or foundation models for biological data.
* A background in cancer biology or immunology.

We Offer
* Number of available positions: 1
* Working

conditions:
* Full time (37.5 hrs/week), open-ended contract for scientific and technical activities, linked to the project and budget duration.
* Salary according to qualifications and experience following IBEC pay scales.
* Measures to reconcile work and family life (parental leave, flexible schedule

working hours
, 23 working days of paid holidays, 9 leave days for personal matters, among others).
* IBEC ensures equality of access to professional development opportunities irrespective of employment status, length at IBEC or other factors. The IBEC's yearly training catalogue offers a wide range of training in technical and transferable skills including mobility grants and a Mentoring programme for predoctoral and postdoctoral re

📌 Postdoctoral Researcher (Barcelona)
🏢 Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
📍 Barcelona