Post-doctoral position at The Francis Crick Institute, London

We are looking for a postdoctoral fellow (4+2 years) interested in combining interdisciplinary approaches with excellent tractability of zebrafish heart to study a fundamental problem – how organ form and function emerge during development. The suitable candidate will use advanced microscopic techniques, image analysis, genetic manipulations, biophysical approaches and collaborate with theoreticians to address this fundamental problem. The successful candidate should be keen on pursuing collaborative research and should be an excellent team player.

The position is offered for 4 years but can be extended for a further 2 years (6 years in total).

The Project:

The overarching goal of our lab is to study how functional organs are built to sustain life during embryonic development. This is a long-standing problem in biology with significant implications for tissue engineering and birth defects. To solve this fundamental problem, we use a well-suited model system, the developing zebrafish heart, as it is amenable to state-of-the-art optical, biophysical, and genetic manipulations. We take a systems biology approach by integrating tools from tissue mechanics, developmental genetics, transcriptomics, biophysics, and predictive theoretical modelling. Using these approaches, we dissect the morphogenesis of complex organs like the heart in exceptional detail, within the physiological context of a living embryo.

A key step during vertebrate heart development is chamber maturation – a poorly-understood morphogenetic process critical for heart function. During this process, the myocardial wall of the ventricle and atrium transforms from a single-layered epithelium into a complex 3D topological meshwork architecture. In the ventricle, these meshwork-like structures are called trabeculae, while in the atrium they are referred to as pectinate fibers. Anomalous morphology and patterning of these structures lead to embryonic lethality and cardiomyopathies in humans. Yet, cellular and physical mechanisms building and rebuilding this myocardial meshwork remain poorly understood. Combining the excellent tractability of zebrafish with interdisciplinary approaches, some of the fundamental questions we seek to address include:

1. Feedback between mechanics, cell fate dynamics, and geometry driving tissue patterning.
2. How 3D topological meshworks are shaped, constrained, and canalized.
3. How nuclear integrity is sustained in a developing beating heart.
4. Morphogenesis and Mechanics of organ scaling and regeneration.
5. Bioelectricity of Morphogenesis.

The suitable candidate will address one of these questions using advanced microscopic techniques, image analysis, genetic/optical manipulations, biophysical approaches, and in collaboration with theoreticians. The specific details and aims of the project will be driven by the candidate’s interest and training. Candidates with a strong background in advanced imaging approaches, image analysis techniques, and tissue morphogenesis/mechanics are encouraged to apply.

We have access to state-of-the-art facilities and technology platforms including advanced light microscopy, high throughput sequencing, bioinformatics and Image analysis. The Crick is a world-class biomedical research institute in central London, offering a dynamic, collaborative, and diverse research environment. It provides an outstanding postdoctoral training program, focused on equipping postdocs with extensive training and career development resources to support their future career trajectories.

For further details about the project and how to apply, use this link

https://crick.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job/London/Postdoctoral-Fellow_R1957-1

or simply get in touch – rashmi.priya@crick.ac.uk.