Postdoctoral Fellow – J DiFrisco Lab

Short summary

The project will investigate the gene-regulatory basis of evolutionary divergence in modes of gastrulation across vertebrates, building on multiomic datasets from chick and frog already generated within the lab. The postholder will investigate regulatory interactions and their morphogenetic and biomechanical consequences during gastrulation. The position is experimentally led but embedded in a theoretically oriented group. The postholder will collaborate with computational and modelling colleagues and will be supported in developing comparative and quantitative skills.

Key Responsibilities

These include but are not limited to:

• Designing, conducting, and troubleshooting wet-lab experiments in avian and/or anuran embryos and/or in vitro models, including expression analysis, gene perturbation, live and fixed imaging, and mechanical measurement or perturbation as the questions require;
• Analysing, interpreting, and integrating the resulting data with the lab’s existing multiomic datasets, in collaboration with computational members of the group;
• Leading the preparation of manuscripts and presenting findings at scientific meetings, while contributing to collaborative projects within the lab and with external partners and, where appropriate, helping to guide PhD students;
• Maintaining regular working hours in the space allocated to the group in London (fully remote work is not possible).

About you

You will have: 

• PhD awarded, or in final stages of submission, in life sciences or biology-adjacent field*
• Training and expertise in developmental biology, developmental genetics, cell biology, or evolutionary-developmental biology*
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in reputable journals
• Evidence of presentations at scientific meetings
• Motivation, drive, and the ability to work independently
• Interest and capacity for acquiring skills and knowledge in theoretical biology broadly, including evolutionary modelling practices, comparative methods, and abstract conceptual reasoning
• Willingness to acquire new computational skills
• Willingness to constructively engage with research outside of one’s area of specialisation

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL, Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under one building in Europe.

The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it to the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.

Please apply via the ‘Apply’ button above.

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