Research Assistant - Colorectal Cancer Chemotherapy Project

About the role

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, is seeking a Research Assistant to support the project "Enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy for colorectal cancer through butyrate-producing bacteria consortia". The assistant performs laboratory and preclinical experiments to evaluate how candidate butyrate-producing bacteria improve chemotherapy efficacy and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. The role covers microbiology, colorectal cancer cell models, animal studies, molecular assays, sample processing and data analysis, while helping keep the laboratory running safely and efficiently.

Key responsibilities

• Culture and maintain bacterial strains, including anaerobic butyrate-producing bacteria, and prepare bacterial inocula or culture-derived materials for experiments.
• Maintain colorectal cancer cell lines, including chemotherapy-resistant models, and support in vitro studies such as cell viability, apoptosis and proliferation assays.
• Perform molecular and cellular assays such as qPCR, western blotting, flow cytometry, histology, fluorescence/FISH staining and microscopy as required.
• Support in vivo colorectal cancer and microbiome studies, including animal monitoring, oral gavage, sample collection, tissue processing and endpoint analyses under approved protocols.
• Prepare and organise samples and datasets for microbiome sequencing, metabolomics and other downstream analyses, and help with basic data analysis and interpretation.
• Maintain accurate experimental records and support laboratory operations, procurement, inventory, equipment upkeep and compliance with biosafety, animal-use and institutional requirements.
• Work with the principal investigator and research team, contribute to project reporting and presentations, and help prepare scientific outputs from the grant.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Life Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Microbiology or a related field.
• Entry-level applicants or candidates with no prior full-time working experience but relevant laboratory training are welcome.
• Hands-on experience in microbiology, molecular biology or mammalian cell culture is preferred; experience with anaerobic bacterial culture or colorectal cancer models is advantageous.
• Experience with animal experiments is advantageous but not essential, and training will be provided where required.
• Strong organisational and record-keeping skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
• Willingness to support time-sensitive cell culture, bacterial culture or animal experiments when required.