Senior Laboratory Research Scientist position available in the Cell and Tissue Mechanobiology Lab at the Crick

This is a full-time, fixed term 2 year position on Crick terms and conditions of employment, which could also be offered as a secondment. https://www.crick.ac.uk/careers-study/vacancies/2023-01-09-senior-laboratory-research-scientist-alberto-elosegui-artola-cell-and-tissue-mechanobiology-lab

Summary:

The Cell and Tissue Mechanobiology lab led by Alberto Elosegui-Artola (https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/alberto-elosegui-artola) is seeking a (Senior) Laboratory research scientist (LRS) to support ongoing projects in the lab as well as lead independent research. The post holder is expected to perform experiments, manage day-to-day lab operations, and train PhDs and postdocs. The suitable candidate will have a strong background in biology. They will be expected to work with organoids, stem cells, generate transgenic lines/CRISPR mutants/knock-ins, use advanced microscopic techniques/image analysis, use biophysical techniques or genetic manipulations to understand the fundamentals of cell and tissue dynamics in 3D. The suitable candidate should be strongly inclined to lead independent research projects as well as support lab’s ongoing projects and should be willing to collaborate within and outside the lab.

Project Summary:

We are a multidisciplinary group looking for researchers interested to join our team and study the interplay between mechanical and chemical cues in development and disease (Elosegui-Artola et al., Nat. Mater. 2022). We utilize a variety of cellular systems like 3D organotypic systems, stem cells, organoids and primary cells, combined with 3D matrix engineering coupled to advanced microscopy to gain a fundamental understanding of the role of mechanics in tissue behaviour. Some of the specific aims are: to study the interaction between tumours and the stroma, to analyze the role of the extracellular matrix in stem cells and organoid morphogenesis; to unravel the mechanical and molecular mechanisms that cells utilize to sense the 3D extracellular matrix; to guide tissue response through mechanical cues.

We and others have shown that cells and tissues sense and respond to different mechanical stimuli both in 2D and 3D and that regulates different signalling pathways (Elosegui-Artola et al., Nat. Mater. 2014, 2022; Elosegui-Artola et al., Nat. Cel. Biol 2016;  Elosegui-Artola et al., Cell 2017; Elosegui-Artola, COCEBI 2021). The goal of the lab is to understand how physical properties and biochemical cues work together to regulate biological functions. We want to understand how the interplay between physical properties and biochemical stimuli regulate biological function at the molecular, cellular and tissue level. We study these questions by analysing the interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix to determine the mechanisms that cells use to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. We study how these mechanisms are regulated in healthy tissue and during development, and how they can be derailed in diseases like cancer. We combine molecular biology, microscopy with biophysics and bioengineering to address these questions.

Members of the lab benefit from access to phenomenal scientific technology platforms of

the Francis Crick Institute and its collaborative environment alongside other research groups. We have strong core funding and we have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant.

Key experience and competencies

The post holder should embody and demonstrate our core Crick values: bold, imaginative, open, dynamic and collegial, in addition to the following:

Essential

• Higher education degree in biology, bioengineering or a related field.
• Strong expertise in state-of-the-art molecular biology and genetics in mammalian cell biology.
• Strong wet lab experience.
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications in referred journals/preprints.
• Track record of working on collaborative projects and teamwork experience.
• Strong interest in pursuing independent research.
• Previous work with 3D organotypic models, stem cells or with organoids.

Desirable

• Experience in advanced microscopy imaging and image analysis.
• Experience in biophysics/mechanobiology at the cell or tissue level.

• Previous work in tumour or developmental biology.
• Previous experience in in-vivo experiment.
• PhD in biology, bioengineering or a related field.