https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/24058/

The Wellcome/Cancer Research UK Gurdon institute is a leading institution in basic research of development and cancer, embedded in the first-class interdisciplinary environment of the University.

Applications are invited for a 4-year PhD studentship in the group led by Dr Fengzhu Xiong, on a project titled Tissue mechanics in body axis symmetry. For further information about Dr Xiong’s group, please go to https://www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk/research/fengzhu-xiong

Xiong Lab is interested in the role and regulation of tissue mechanics in morphogenesis (shape change) during development. We integrate a variety of tools from imaging to soft matter physics with the long-term goal of quantitatively predicting morphogenesis. Early vertebrate embryos increase the length of the body significantly during somitogenesis while maintaining straightness. The cell dynamics and tissue forces that prevent axis curvature remain unknown. The project will involve: observing and analysing the dynamics and variability of tissue symmetry and cell behaviours in avian embryos; performing microsurgeries and quantitative tissue force measurements to understand the mechanical constraints on the body axis; developing computational models linking signalling, cell dynamics to tissue mechanics to assess robustness of symmetry. A variety of other projects on tissue mechanics are possible, depending on the student’s interest and background. The student is expected to complete the PhD thesis in the fourth year of study.

Applicants must have (or expect to obtain) a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in developmental biology, genetics, physics and/or engineering disciplines relevant to the project. Motivation, creativity and intellectual independence are desirable as are excellent communication skills with the ability to work collaboratively. This project includes full funding for University and College fees and a stipend. Applicants are encouraged to seek external funding sources. For example, applicants eligible for various scholarships at Cambridge (https://www.cambridgetrust.org/scholarships/) should submit a copy of the application through the University portal and select Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience graduate course before the deadline.

To apply, please send the following as a combined PDF file to jobs@gurdon.cam.ac.uk, please indicate “Application – PR21447” in your email subject:

• CV (PDF file listing awards and honours, publications and research/work experiences),
• Copy of your undergraduate transcript (and certified English translation if applicable)
• A research writing sample (e.g., a publication, undergraduate or masters dissertation, internship project report, etc)
• A statement of interest (limit of 2,500 characters) should explain your research career motivation and how this PhD training will help you improve your knowledge and skills.

In addition, please arrange 3 recommendation letter to be sent to jobs@gurdon.cam.ac.uk directly from the referees with the reference number PR21447 and your name in the title.

The closing date for applications is 7 January 2020, with interviews expected to take place in February.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 4 years in the first instance.

The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity. Benefits include generous maternity/paternity leave, flexible working and funds for returning carers and other family friendly schemes. The Gurdon Institute is committed to equality and diversity in the workplace, for more information go to https://www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk/wed/SWAN

Click the ‘Apply’ button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact jobs@gurdon.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PR21447 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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The ISLET project will develop a manufacturing pipeline for stem cell-based products to treat patients with Type 1 Diabetes. In Type 1 Diabetes a patient’s immune system destroys the beta cells within the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas making a patient dependent on life-long delivery of insulin. Based on in-house methods, ISLET will deliver a product composed of clusters of insulin-producing beta cells, derived from human pluripotent stem cells, ready to be used in phase 1 clinical trials.

ISLET also aims to advance this product by engineering clusters of hormone-producing cells that not only consist of the insulin-producing beta cells but also other hormone-producing islet cells, thereby engineering a product that is more alike the islets of Langerhans that are found in the pancreas.

Finally, ISLET researchers will develop innovative solutions to a common bottleneck in stem cell therapy, namely how to predict the therapeutic capacity of stem cell products.

With hubs at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Munich, Germany, the European team of world-leading and complementary expertise has been carefully hand-picked to move the work smoothly from the lab bench to the clinic and to market the new products.

“I am very proud that prominent researchers from the University of Copenhagen will participate in taking a great leap forward in the field of diabetes research. The ISLET project, coordinated by Professor Henrik Semb, is a strong example of complementary collaboration between world-leading researchers. Furthermore, this demonstrates how long-term dedication to basic research can have transformative effect. Thus, I hope that future patients will benefit from the development of the clinical stem cell-based transplantation program, says Ulla Wewer, Dean at The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen”.

The funding is awarded through the Horizon 2020 EU Research and Innovation actions programme that also supported the discoveries that laid the foundations for ISLET, in previous funding rounds.

Type 1 Diabetes is a global health challenge, affecting more than one million children and adolescents worldwide, with close to 129,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Diabetes impacts on quality of life and is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. The condition is a severe economic burden on healthcare and the labour force.

“We are extremely excited and honoured that the EU are continuing to support this vital work in driving forward a stem cell therapy for Diabetes. The immensely talented pan-European ISLET team highlights the strength in collaboration between institutions. It is only by working together transparently in this way that we can fulfill the promise that stem cell technology offers to human health globally.” – Professor Henrik Semb, scientific coordinator

“IDF Europe is hugely excited to be participating in ISLET, which we believe has the potential to pave the way for a Type 1 Diabetes cure in the future. The funding allocated to this project will have a huge effect on our ability to effectively represent the voice of, and improve the lives of people living with diabetes and connect all relevant stakeholders to ensure that knowledge is shared as broadly and rapidly as possible for maximum impact.” – Professor Dr Sehnaz Karadeniz, IDF Europe Chair

Contact

Professor Henrik Semb: E-mail:  semb@sund.ku.dk, henrik.semb@helmholtz-muenchen.de

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Xenbase (www.xenbase.org) is the Xenopus bioinformatics and genomics knowledgebase funded by the NIH/NICHHD. We have has two performance sites: the curation team at Cincinnati Children’s, Cincinnati OH (PI: Dr. Aaron Zorn) and the database management team at the University of Calgary in Canada (PI Dr. Peter Vize).

Xenbase is seeking to fill 1 full time Genomic Analyst position to join the curation team at the Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s. This position offers a challenging job involving diverse tasks related to genomic data management and the integration of genotype and phenotype data. As part of the Xenbase team the Genomic Analyst will function at the interface between biocurators, database administrators and software developers to improve data curation; test and help optimize website functionality; develop programming scripts; interact with our user community at research conferences and contribute to Xenbase publications.

Job Description:
• Management and “wrangling” of genomic data.
• Help manage Xenopus genomes and participate in genome annotation and gene nomenclature.
• Help test newly developed code features and provide feedback for developers.
• Work with biocurators, developers and database administrators to promote data integrity, develop he technical specification of new features for the site.
• Participate in data analysis and development of new ways to visualize data.
• Help manage data exports for public use and data exchange with other databases.
• Co-author reports and publications and give presentations at national and international meetings and workshops.

Qualifications:
• MSc or PhD degree in bioinformatics and/or genomics.
• Experience working with genomic data
• Experience with a programming language such as Perl or Python
• Experience with standard bioinformatic tools, analyses, file formats (BLAST, BLAT, multi-seq. alignments, GFF, GTF, etc).
• Demonstrated writing skills (scientific papers, reports and presentations).
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team as well as independently, quickly and accurately and be self-motivated
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including excellent written and spoken English.

Preference will be given to an applicant with:
• 2 or more years’ experience with a bioinformatics, genomics or work with another model organism database
• Experience in relational databases, data annotation/biocuration, knowledge of and familiarity with ontologies.
• Experience in analyzing genomics data, using GRN software, genome browsers and common bioinformatics tools.
• Experience with SVN or Git based version control, particularly GitLab, and continuous integration.
• Experience in constructing and maintaining bioinformatic pipelines.

How to Apply:
Please submit your application here: https://jobs.cincinnatichildrens.org/search/jobdetails/analyst-bioinformatics-genomics/ac4265c1-9a1e-4a3e-9880-35de3f5a6398 Due date: January 31st 2020. Please include:
• A cover letter, including a statement of interest in the position.
• CV/Resume, with 3 references whom we may contact: please include their postal address, email and phone number
• Copy of your degree(s), and undergraduate transcripts.

Salary and Start Date:
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Start date is negotiable, expected to be in early 2020.

Cincinnati Children’s employees undergo background checks, orientation and a 6-month probationary period. All employees are required to receive an annual flu vaccination. More information about working at Cincinnati Children’s, and living in Cincinnati, can be found here: http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/careers/working/default/

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The Galloway lab is for a highly motivated individual to join a research program focused on musculoskeletal development and regenerative biology. The lab uses genomic approaches combined with zebrafish, mouse, and stem cell models to understand the pathways involved in musculoskeletal development, regeneration, and repair. The position provides an exciting opportunity to work at the interface of basic and translational research in a collaborative and stimulating environment at the Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at MGH, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and the Harvard Medical School.

Minimum degree and field of knowledge:  B.S./B.A. in Biology or related field.

Research experience: Candidates with a strong background in molecular biology and cell culture are preferred. The position requires excellent organizational and record keeping skills.

Duties:

The candidate is expected to independently carry out the daily activities of the laboratory, which include:

• Responsibilities for a wide range of laboratory techniques including molecular biology, cell culture, animal maintenance, and tissue histology.
• Documents, compiles, and analyzes information obtained from laboratory experiments.
• Demonstrates the ability to interpret data and to resolve technical problems.
• Some animal husbandry involving mouse and zebrafish models may be involved.

Required Skills:

• Molecular biology and cell culture experience is preferred.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail are essential.
• Ability to quickly learn new techniques, think critically and work independently.
• Demonstrates the ability to work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment, and has excellent communication skills in English.

For more information, visit our lab website (http://gallowaylab.mgh.harvard.edu/).

Interested candidates should submit a CV, a brief cover letter stating current and future career goals, and contact information for three references by email to Dr. Jenna Galloway (jenna_galloway@hms.harvard.edu).

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Full-time postdoctoral positions are available in the Galloway lab in the field of stem cells and regenerative biology with a focus on musculoskeletal biology. The Galloway laboratory aims to understand the genetic pathways regulating tendon development and repair with the goal of designing therapies for age-related degeneration and injury. Our current projects use genomic approaches combined with zebrafish, mouse, and stem cell models to understand the pathways involved in tendon development, regeneration, and repair.

The position provides an exciting opportunity to work at the interface of basic and translational research in a collaborative and stimulating environment at the Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at MGH, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and the Harvard Medical School community.

Applicants with a strong background in genetics, developmental biology, and molecular biology are encouraged to apply. Bioinformatics experience is preferred.

For more information, visit our lab website (http://gallowaylab.mgh.harvard.edu/). Interested candidates should submit a CV, brief description of research experience, and names and contact information for three references to Dr. Jenna Galloway at jenna_galloway@hms.harvard.edu.

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POLL NOW CLOSED – THANKS TO ALL WHO TOOK PART

Increasing numbers of biologists are becoming reluctant to travel to conferences due to concerns about climate change. We aim to partner with other organisations to develop resources for sustainable conferencing. Please help us by completing this very short poll:

Create your own user feedback survey

(If the poll fails to load please use this web link).

If you have already responded to a similar poll from us on Twitter we’d be grateful if you could also respond to this one. You won’t be double-counted.

Thank you for your help

Professor Kate Storey, University of Dundee

Dr Sally Lowell, University of Edinburgh, Meetings Secretary for the British Society for Developmental Biology

(4 votes)

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OPEN POSTDOCTORAL POSITION 

APPLY NOW

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Review Commons is a new publishing platform from ASAPbio and EMBO providing independent peer review before journal submission. According to the homepage it will

“provide authors with a Refereed Preprint, which includes the authors’ manuscript, reports from a single round of peer review and the authors’ response, [and] facilitate author-directed submission of Refereed Preprints to affiliate journals to expedite editorial consideration, reduce serial re-review and streamline publication.”

Here’s a handy diagram from the site:

Of the 17 affiliate journals, four are published by The Company of Biologists – Development, Journal of Cell Science, Biology Open and Disease Models and Mechanisms. It seems an exciting publishing experiment: feel free to leave a comment to let us know what you think about it!

See Bernd Pulverer and Thoman Lemberger’s Editorial in The EMBO Journal for more background:

https://www.embopress.org/doi/10.15252/embj.2019103998

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We are seeking a motivated Research Fellow to join the Forrester Group at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine.  This 3-year MRC funded project aims to study the molecular components associated with the erythroid island niche in normal and abnormal erythropoiesis. It follows on from our development of an in vitro model of the human erythroid island niche using iPSCs (PMID: 30787325).

The project involves collaboration with Profs Jan Frayne (University of Bristol) and Gavin Wright (Sanger Institute in Cambridge).

A good background in cell biology and some experience in cell culture, molecular biology and bioinformatics is desirable.

More information is  available at University of Edinburgh Academic Vacancies (Ref: 050500).

Please contact L.Forrester@ed.ac.uk for more details and/or informal discussion.

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Application deadline: February 1 st

The Blanchoud lab (University of Fribourg) and the Tiozzo lab (CNRS, Sorbonne University) are offering one year SNF funded post-doc position on a project that aims to survey horizontal gene transfers in Tunicates, the sister group of vertebrates. In particular, the candidate will perform a coherent and integrated analysis of all currently available genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data to estimate the extent of functional foreign genetic material and their potential role in these marine chordates.

We are looking for a highly motivated bioinformatician with the following qualifications:

• PhD degree in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, or a related field
• Strong experience in the development of bioinformatic analysis workflows
• Proficiency in suitable programming languages (e.g. Python, R)
• Familiarity with HPC systems
• Background in evolutionary biology and/or biochemistry would be a plus but is not required

The successful candidate will start at the latest by February 15th 2020, for a duration of 12 months. The project will be mainly held in Fribourg (Switzerland). However, short-term mobility to Villefranche-sur-Mer (France) will be considered.

Please submit your letter of interest, CV, references, and a relevant sample of code by email to Simon Blanchoud (simon.blanchoud@unifr.ch) and/or Stefano Tiozzo (tiozzo@obs-vlfr.fr).

Simon Blanchoud
FNS Ambizione Fellow

Stefano Tiozzo
CNRS – UPMC

(2 votes)

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