Postdoctoral Position in Stem Cells and Development at KU Leuven

A postdoctoral position is available for a highly motivated researcher to join the laboratory of Dr. Vincent PASQUE at KU Leuven.

(ref. BAP-2022-126)

Responsibilities
The Pasque laboratory (www.kuleuven.be/pasquelab) studies the mechanisms of cell fate specification during early mammalian development and reprogramming, with a focus on pluripotency, dosage compensation and the pancreas (see publications: Posfai et al. Nature Cell Biology 2021; Talon et al. Genome Biology 2021; Vanheer et al. bioRxiv 2020, Janiszewski et al. Genome Research 2019). Our team uses pluripotent stem cells (human, mouse) and a combination of genetic, molecular, cellular, and computational techniques to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of peri-implantation development and reprogramming, and pancreas development, to reveal molecular changes that underlie diseases and to design new therapeutic approaches.
The Pasque laboratory is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral scientist interested to join a national interuniversity funded collaborative project with the laboratories of Miriam Cnop (ULB), Pierre Vanderhaeghen (KUL/VIB), Lynette Lim (KUL/VIB), Laurent Nuygen (ULG), Jean-Christophe Jonas and Patrick Gilon (UCL). In this project we will investigate how organelle biology and metabolism impact cell fate specification during pancreas and brain development, and how their disruption causes diseases. You will use innovative human stem cell models to assess how organelles and metabolism may instruct the fate of β cells and neurons during development and life, and to identify treatments that rescue cell defects. As our focus on patient mutations and cells ensures relevance to human disease, we anticipate to uncover new avenues to treat diabetes and brain development diseases.
The project is jointly funded by the FWO and FNRS (National Belgian scientific Funds) in the framework of the EOS program (Excellence of science).

Profile
We will only consider candidates with experience in mammalian stem cell and developmental biology, with an excellent track record of peer-reviewed publications.
Prior experience in cell culture, molecular biology, transcriptomics, epigenomics, early mammalian embryogenesis, human pluripotent stem cells, β cell differentiation, biology of mitochondria and metabolism is a plus.

Offer
Competitive salary and appointment for 1 year with possibility of extension up to 3 years.
Postdoc position in a young international team at the KU Leuven in collaboration with leading laboratories across Belgium.
Excellent interdisciplinary training possibilities combining stem-cell embryo models and computational approaches.
The KU Leuven (University of Leuven) is located in the city of Leuven, a historic, international, dynamic and lively city at the center of Belgium and Europe. The KU Leuven is currently placed amongst the best universities in the world by the Times Higher Education and has been deemed as Europe’s most innovative university for 3 years in a row.
Modern facilities, beyond state-of-the-art technologies and infrastructure.
The position is immediately available.
You will join a motivated team with an outstanding network of collaborations.

Interested?
You can contact Dr. Vincent Pasque (vincent.pasque@kuleuven.be) for more information.
Your application file consists of: a brief description of research interests, technical abilities, CV and publication list, contact details of 3 references.
You can apply for this job no later than March 31, 2022 via the online KULeuven application tool