Postdoctoral Fellow: Cell polarity and fate specification at The Crick (London)

The Goehring Lab at the Francis Crick Institute is seeking to recruit a talented and motivated Postdoctoral Training Fellow to join our group on a 4-year fixed term contract.

Using the C. elegans embryo as a model, our interdisciplinary team combines genetics, quantitative live cell imaging, in vivo biophysics, and mathematical modelling to link molecular behaviors to system-level properties of the PAR network, thereby providing multi-scale models for how PAR proteins polarize cells in response to developmental cues and ultimately how polarized patterns are read out by the downstream pathways that define a cell’s fate. Our work is supported by active collaborations with theorists and biochemists providing additional opportunities for cross-disciplinary investigation. For more detail, please see our website.

Postdoctoral Training Fellows are expected to lead their own projects, generate and pursue independent research ideas, mentor junior researchers, and contribute to other projects on a collaborative basis (both in the lab and with external collaborators). This position offers substantial freedom regarding research direction.  The specific project will be developed together with the successful candidate, taking into consideration their specific interests and experience.  We welcome applications from diverse backgrounds who can bring new ideas, tools, and/or perspectives to the group.

Some examples of current projects include:

• Measuring, modelling and manipulating PAR network feedback circuits
• Quantitative exploration of kinase-substrate interactions in polarity networks
• Exploring the role of the membrane/cytoskeletal interface in PAR polarity
• Cell cycle control of cell polarity and fate specification pathways
• Origins of robustness and the canalization of developmental variability
• Mechanisms for encoding cellular memory

Note this is a core-funded position, though successful candidates will be encouraged to pursue external fellowship support.

Potential applicants are encouraged to submit informal inquiries to nate.goehring@crick.ac.uk in advance of their application. Please include a clear statement of why you are interested in the lab, what types of projects/questions you would like to pursue, and how you see yourself contributing to our group.

For further details or to apply, please see the official job ad here.  Note that this is a rolling advert with no specific closing date. Applications will be considered as they arrive and will close once the position is filled.