Postdoctoral Researcher – Chromosome Biology

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time fixed term position as a Postdoctoral researcher with Professor Brian McStay at the Centre for Chromosome Biology (CCB) in the School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway. This position is funded by an Investigator Award from the Wellcome Trust and is available from October 2022 for 3 years.

Nucleoli, sites of ribosome biogenesis and the largest structures in the human nucleus, form around nucleolar organiser regions (NORs) located on the p-arms of the five acrocentric chromosomes. NORs comprise ribosomal gene (rDNA) arrays coding for the major RNA components of ribosomes. How multiple acrocentric p-arms gather together to form a nucleolus, how NORs partition within nucleoli and how rDNA genomic stability is maintained are important but unanswered questions. The successful candidate will be a key member of a team that will utilise novel chromosome engineering technologies to address these critical questions. This work has added significance as nucleoli represent an important paradigm for understanding human genome organisation. For further information on the research program and links to relevant recent publications see https://www.chromosome.ie/researchers/mcstay/.