Scientist

**Grade**: P1

**Contractual Arrangement**: Fixed-term appointment

**Job Posting**: Sep 20, 2024, 2:41:35 AM

**Closing Date**: Oct 12, 2024, 4:59:00 PM

**Primary Location**: France-Lyon

**Organization**: Nutrition and Metabolism

**Schedule**: Full-time

**PURPOSE** **OF** **POSITION**

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. The objective of the IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.

The goal of the Nutrition and Metabolism Branch (NME) is to provide robust scientific evidence on the role of nutrition, obesity, and metabolic dysfunction in cancer development that can be translated to both clinical and population-level interventions and to public health policy. NME aims to go beyond what may be considered the traditional domains of nutrition in cancer research and fully exploit methodological advances in molecular techniques to implement an integrated, multidisciplinary program of epidemiological research. Given the potential for advances in molecular profiling to help overcome methodological challenges in nutrition research and delineate the underlying biological pathways, emphasis is placed on conducting molecular research that integrates metabolomics, hormone measurements, the microbiome, proteomics and genomics, within population-based cohorts and intervention studies.

Within this framework, the incumbent will contribute to expand research activities in one of the following domains:

- The incidence of early onset cancers, defined as cancers diagnosed below 50 years of age, has increased in several countries in Europe and North-America due to a multitude of reasons. A comprehensive research program will be implemented to investigate the causes of these increases within prospective epidemiological investigations in Europe and in international consortia.
- Triple negative breast cancer showed unexplained variation of incidence rates across the world. Yet, its etiology is poorly understood although emerging epidemiological data suggest that risk factors for triple negative breast cancer may differ from those identified for other breast cancer subtypes. Several state-of-the-art molecular tools will be used to acquire molecular data to identify novel biological pathways associated with the risk and survival of triple negative breast cancer.

**DESCRIPTION** **OF** **DUTIES**

The incumbent will report directly to a team leader and will perform the below duties:
1) Analyze data from the EPIC study to identify potential risk factors, biomarkers, and molecular mechanisms underlying early onset cancers and specific cancer subtypes.

2) Integrate and harmonize data, fostering global research efforts in early onset cancers/rare subtypes.

3) Develop and implement innovative research methodologies and analytical strategies to advance understanding in this field.

4) Prepare research findings for publication in high-impact scientific journals and present results at international conferences and meetings.

6) Contribute to the training and mentoring of junior researchers and students.

**WHO** **COMPETENCIES**
- Producing results.
- Fostering integration and teamwork.
- Communication.
- Respecting and promoting cultural differences.
- Moving forward in a changing environment.

**REQUIRED** **QUALIFIC**A**TIONS**

**EDUC**A**TION**

**Essential**: PhD in Epidemiology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Public Health, or a related field.

**Desirable**:
- **PROFESSIONAL** **EXPERIENCE**

**Essential**:At least one year of research experience in cancer epidemiology.

**Desirable**:Focused experience on colorectal and/or breast cancer. Experience with cohort studies and biobanking.

**FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE**

**Essential**:

- Strong background in handling and analyzing large-scale lifestyle and molecular data.
- Knowledge of statistical software (e.g., R, Python, SAS).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of scientific publications.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a multicultural environment.
- Knowledge of ethical and regulatory aspects related to human data research.

**Desirable**:

- Familiarity with next-generation sequencing and other high-throughput molecular techniques.
- Understanding of metabolic, genetic, and epigenetic data to investigate mechanisms of cancer development.
- Ability to manage projects and meet deadlines.
- Experience in international research collaborations.

**USE** **OF** **LANGUAGE** **SKILLS**

Expert knowledge of English is essential. Working knowledge of French is an asset.

**OTHER SKILLS ( IT SKILLS)**
- Knowledge of office 365 package.
- Knowledge of statistical software e.g. R, Python, SAS, etc.

**REMUNER**A**TION**

**ADDITIONAL** **INFORM**A**TION**
- This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level or lower.
- A written test and/or presentation/seminar may