University of Iowa Health Care Department of Urology seeks a highly motivated Post Doc Research Scholar to play a pivotal role in building the lab infrastructure, implementing organoid culture protocols, and performing functional and molecular assays. This position offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers and contribute to cutting-edge bladder cancer research with direct clinical impact.  We are launching a state-of-the-art research laboratory dedicated to developing patient-derived bladder cancer organoid (PDO) models and integrating genomic and transcriptomic profiling to advance personalized medicine in bladder cancer. This lab will serve as a cornerstone for translational research, drug sensitivity testing, and biomarker discovery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in establishing the Bladder Cancer Research Laboratory with emphasis on organoid and molecular biology, including equipment selection, ordering, and setup.


• Develop and maintain SOPs for tissue processing, organoid culture, and downstream molecular residual disease (MRD)assays from patient liquid biopsies such as blood and urine.


• Ensure compliance with institutional biosafety and ethical guidelines.


• Process patient-derived bladder tumor tissue for PDO generation and cryopreservation.


• Perform organoid culture, maintenance, and expansion using advanced 3D culture systems.


• Conduct organoid chemosensitivity testing using viability and apoptosis assays.


• Maintain and expand an annotated cryo-preserved biorepository of patient urine and blood products paired with the tumor tissue and organoids.


• Prepare samples for RNA sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, and ctDNA analysis.


• Maintain accurate and detailed experimental records to ensure data integrity.


• Work closely with clinical teams for timely specimen acquisition and sample tracking.


• Collaborate with international partner laboratories to implement and refine protocols.


• Present findings in internal meetings and external scientific forum and contribute to the preparation of manuscripts and grant proposals.


• Maintain cell culture facilities, molecular biology workstations, and inventory.


• Train and supervise junior staff, students, and/or technicians as needed.


• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Master's or Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, or a related field.

• Strong hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture and sterile techniques.


• Familiarity with tissue handling and molecular biology workflows including quantitative PCR.


• Working knowledge of software applications, such as Microsoft Office Suite.


• Excellent verbal,  written  and interpersonal communications skills.

• Prior experience with organoid culture systems (tumor or normal tissue).


• Knowledge of bladder cancer biology or urologic oncology.


• Experience with molecular assays (ddPCR, immunostaining, sequencing); bioinformatics familiarity is a plus.


• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.


• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.


• Strong communication skills for cross-institutional collaboration.