Post doctoral research associate (King’s College London, UK)

We are offering a fully funded 3-year Postdoctoral position to work with the Agromayor and Martin-Serrano groups and investigate how nuclear shape regulates cell function and tissue homeostasis.

About the project: The nucleus has been traditionally viewed as a passive organelle, whereby the nuclear envelope (NE) simply acts as physical barrier that stores and protects the genome. This view has been transformed in recent years by the emerging role of nuclear shape in physiology. It is now established that nuclear shape reflects both the balance of forces and the dynamics of membrane remodelling at the NE. Recent work has shown that cellular functions such as the sensing of physical confinement require the unfolding of NE invaginations. However, extreme deformations of the NE lead to membrane rupture and DNA damage. Despite these exciting advances, how NE shape determines nuclear stability and cellular function remains largely unknown. We have recently identified BROX as a new protein that determines nuclear shape by regulating force transmission onto the nucleus, as well as membrane remodelling (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2021.10.022). This unique tool gives us the opportunity to test how tightly regulated nuclear shape underpins cellular function and this fundamental knowledge will further inform mechanisms of disease, as extreme nuclear deformations underlie pathologies from cardiovascular disease to cancer.

The project is funded by the BBSRC and provides an exciting opportunity to develop innovative imaging techniques such as light-sheet, FLIM and correlative electron microscopy.

About the lab environment: Our groups bring together passionate scientists from diverse backgrounds that share the excitement for curiosity driven research and creative problem solving. We are committed to advancing a positive research culture which focuses not just on research outcomes but on how we conduct our research. In our labs we have an open-door policy, that favours transparency and highlights the importance of mutual respect and research integrity, promoting an atmosphere of curiosity and honesty, where innovation and teamwork are prioritised and staff at all career stages can prosper.

About you: This is the right project for you if … you are looking for a blue-sky project and an interdisciplinary and collaborative team of scientists, are passionate about science and think cell biology is the best but are not afraid of following your results into new fields.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Monica Agromayor (monica.agromayor@kcl.ac.uk) and Professor Juan Martin-Serrano (juan.martin_serrano@kcl.ac.uk)

To apply for the post, use King’s College application system via the link:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/089667-research-associate

Application closes 13 June 2024