Postdoctoral Research Associate in Evo Devo

The Tucker lab is looking for a postdoc to work on a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The post is for two years to study tooth replacement patterns across vertebrates. The selected applicant will join the vibrant and friendly Tucker lab and work as part of a team to understand mechanisms underlying fate decisions. The lab is part of the internationally acclaimed Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology housed within Guy’s Hospital at King’s College London.

The department has over 60 research staff and major funding from the Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science Research Council, Wellcome Trust and European Union. All the groups occupy newly refurbished laboratories and core facilities on floor 27 of Guy’s Tower.

As mammals we only have two sets of teeth, our baby (deciduous) teeth, and our permanent teeth. This brings the question of why we have this restriction when elsewhere in the animal kingdom sharks, snakes and crocodiles have a seemingly unlimited supply of replacement teeth. Here we aim to understand the mechanisms that restrict tooth number in mammals by investigating the signals that determine whether a tooth is replaced or not. For this, we will study replacement in an animal that does not replace its teeth (the mouse) and a mammal that replaces some of its teeth (the opossum) and compare to a reptile that constantly replaces its teeth (the corn snake) and a reptile that only has one set of teeth (the chameleon). Are the signals that restrict tooth number in mammals shared across toothed animals or are the rules for tooth replacement distinct in mammals compared to reptiles. This knowledge will provide the foundation for an understanding of the mechanisms that control tooth replacement strategies, providing the possibility of controlling tooth numbers in the future. The post will involve both embryo manipulation and bioinformatic approaches and is suitable for researchers interested in evodevo.

 This post will be offered on a fixed term contract for 2 years