Opportunities
Our lab has openings for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students (including rotation students) and undergraduate students. Please contact Dr. Xin Lu (xlu@nd.edu) if you are interested in joining us to explore exciting opportunities of translational cancer research.
Dr. Xin Lu is John M. and Mary Jo Boler Collegiate Professor (tenured and endowed) at University of Notre Dame. The goal of Lu lab is to identify novel immuno-oncology targets and develop immunotherapies to benefit patients with metastatic cancers. We focus on both cancer cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of tumor immune evasion in a range of cancer types (e.g., prostate, breast, pancreas, kidney). Our research approach integrates genetically engineered mouse models, functional genomics, experimental therapeutics, and cutting-edge experimental and computational methodologies (single cell RNA-seq, spatial omics, high-throughput drug and CRISPR/cas9 screen, molecular digital pathology, multi-omics integration, etc.). Some recent publications include Nature, 2017 [PMID: 28321130]; PNAS 2018 [PMID: 30232256]; Nat Comm, 2020 [PMID: 32358507]; Science Immunology, 2023 [PMID: 36897957]; Cell Metabolism, 2023 [PMID: 37793345]; Cancer Research, 2024 [PMID: 38588411]; Cancer Lett. 2026 [PMID: 41955903]; PNAS 2026 [PMID: 42384695]; et al.
Located at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame and affiliated with Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Lu lab investigates deeply the following areas:
- Cellular, biochemical or metabolic mechanism of cancer progression and metastasis, especially for but not limited to prostate cancer and breast cancer.
- Tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor immunology, and/or cancer immunotherapy (including combination immunotherapy).
- Computational cancer bioinformatics, integrated analysis of oncogenomics and/or proteomics data, and functional validation in cell culture and animal models.
The lab research is actively supported by federal agencies and private foundations. A range of projects using in vitro and in vivo models and in silico computational approaches are available covering the following topics:
- Mechanistic understanding of immunosuppressive neutrophils and macrophages, T cells, and other non-immune cell types (neurons and fibroblasts) in the TME.
- Metabolic reprogramming through pharmacological or dietary approaches to enhance cancer immunotherapy;
- Target identification, therapeutic development, and bioengineering modeling for organ-specific metastasis of prostate cancer and breast cancer;
- Development of novel immunotherapeutics including antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T or CAR-NK therapies.
Postdoc Fellow:
Candidate should already hold or expected to hold a doctoral degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, bioinformatics or related field. Experiences that are desirable (but not required) include mammalian cell culture, molecular cloning, cell biology and biochemistry assays, RNAi, CRISPR, immunology, animal models, histopathology, single-cell technology, or bioinformatics/computational biology. A notable publication record, effective communication skills and teamwork spirit are beneficial. A generous offer package will be provided. You will enjoy beautiful campus, safe and enriched environment and low-cost comfortable living style. Please kindly email current CV and names of 3 references to Dr. Xin Lu at XLU@ND.EDU.
Graduate Student:
Candidate should love scientific research, aspire to become an independent, successful and respected scientist, dare to challenge the paradigm and dream big. Please kindly apply for the Ph.D. program of Biological Sciences (BIOS) and/or Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) at the University of Notre Dame through the official application steps in the coming application cycle. During the application, you can put my name as one of the three faculty members you are most interested in. You can also mention your interests in my lab in your personal statement, which is a very important document in the application. Please also feel free to contact me through XLU@ND.EDU during the application season. I look forward to meeting you in the beautiful campus of Notre Dame in the golden fall semester!
Undergraduate researcher:
Your interest in greatly appreciated! Please kindly fill out this Google application form https://forms.gle/sGcckFNEG3nPBtWD8 and give Dr. Lu a heads-up through XLU@ND.EDU Dr. Lu will review the application and contact you about next steps.
The University of Notre Dame is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.