Post-doctoral researcher and PhD-student positions in stem cell biology

The laboratory of Dr. Jette Lengefeld is inviting applications for post-doctoral researchers and/or PhD-students in cell biology and stem cell biology.

The failure to regenerate tissue with age is a major health issue. A contributor to this decline is the loss of stem cell function. Despite the essential role of stem cells, it is still unclear how they fail to maintain their functions during aging and disease. We discovered a new aspect of stem cell aging in vivo: cellular enlargement. With age and damage, stem cells increase in size, causing their functional decline. However, we are only beginning to understand how size impacts stem cell fitness and the physiological importance of this process remains unsolved.

For this project, we will use blood (hematopoietic) stem cells from mice and human bone marrow donations to address this question: Does deregulation of cellular size affect cancer?
We utilize blood stem cells from mice and humans to identify factors that facilitate leukaemia in vivo and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

The post-doctoral applicants must hold PhD in hematology, hematopoietic stem cell biology or a related field. Strong expertise in stem cell biology and experience working with mice is highly beneficial.

The PhD-student applicants should obtain MSc or related degree in the biology field latest by August 2024, and have a strong interest to carry out cutting-edge research. The positions will provide multiple opportunities for collaborations with potential lab visits abroad. An attitude to drive own research and work in an intra and inter team fashion is highly appreciated.

In return, the candidates are offered an access to a wide variety of methodologies and advanced techniques. The working language of the laboratory, the BI and HiLIFE is English and good communication skills in English are required.

The postdoctoral researcher and PhD-student positions are initially limited to 2 and 4 years, respectively, with the possibility of extension. A trial period of 6 months will be applied, and the salaries will be based on the University salary scheme for teaching and research personnel, composed of both task-specific and personal performance components.

Application should include the following documents as a single pdf file: CV, list of publications, motivation letter including a description of your research interests, and the names and telephone numbers of at least two referees.

Please submit your application, together with the required attachments, through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking the “Apply now” – link below. Applicants employed by the University of Helsinki must submit their application through the SAP HR portal.

The deadline for the applications is 25th of July 2024, but the positions will be filled immediately once suitable candidates have been identified.

For informal inquiries, contact ‘jette.lengefeld(at)helsinki.fi’, and for more information about our research, please visit https: //lengefeldlab.com

For technical support regarding the recruitment system, please contact rekrytointi@helsinki.fi.

Selected recent publications:

Lengefeld J, Cheng CW, Maretich P, Blair M, Hagen H, McReynolds MR, Sullivan E, Mayors K, Roberts C, Steiner J, Kang JH, Miettinen TP, Manalis SR, Antebi A, Rabinowitz JD, Morrison S, Lees J, Boyer L, Yilmaz O, Amon A “Cell size determines stem cell potential during aging“, Science Advances (2021),

Neurohr G, Terry R, Lengefeld J, Bonney M, Brittingham G, Moretto F, Miettinen T, Pontano Vaites L, Soares L, Paulo J, Harper W, Buratowski S, Manalis S, van Werven F, Holt L, Novak B, Tyson J, Amon A “Excessive cell growth causes cytoplasm dilution and contributes to senescence“, Cell (2019)

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Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) is a new institute established in 2017 that supports high quality life science research across the University campuses and faculties. HiLIFE builds on existing strengths and new recruits and partnerships to create an attractive international environment for researchers to solve grand challenges in health, food, and environment. HiLIFE coordinates research infrastructures in life sciences and provides research-based interdisciplinary training.

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