The Turing Centre for Living Systems (CENTURI) wishes to attract talented postdoctoral fellows to the Luminy campus. To do so, CENTURI will fund up to 5 postdoctoral positions to start in 2019, for a maximum of two years. Postdocs will work in an interdisciplinary life science environment, and have backgrounds in any of the following fields: cell or developmental biology, immunology, neurobiology, biophysics, theoretical physics, computer science, bioinformatics, applied mathematics, engineering.

Candidates can either apply to one of the advertised CENTURI projects or submit their own project, providing that they meet the application criteria and that their application is supported by at least one host lab.

Students will be co-supervised by two or three supervisors from our community. Candidates can apply to a maximum of three projects.

Selection criteria

Candidates will be evaluated on the following criteria:

– Scientific level and publications

– Ability to work in a multidisciplinary research environment

– Ability to work on a collaborative research project

– Enthusiasm and communication skills

Duration: 2 year

Deadline for application: April 26, 2019

Interviews in Marseille (pre-selected candidates only): June 27 – 28, 2019

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The Seifert lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Kentucky (UK) is seeking exceptionally creative postdoctoral researchers to join our group.  We utilize a diverse array of species to study the cellular and molecular basis for complex tissue regeneration in mammals.  To pursue this line of research we maintain and use our active breeding colonies of spiny mice in the US (Acomys cahirinus) and in Kenya (Acomys percivali and Acomys kempi).  Our US colony provides molecular tractability whereas our work in Kenya with wild-trapped rodent species (regenerating and non-regenerating) provides phylogenetic perspective to understand the distribution of regenerative ability.  Successful applicants will initially join an NIH funded project investigating how immune cells regulate the regenerative response to injury.  Specifically, the project investigates how specific macrophage phenotypes induce behavioral changes in local fibroblasts during blastema formation.  Ideal candidates will have a strong background in developmental biology, experience working with model or non-model organisms, expertise in microscopy and comfortability with bioinformatics. While these are funded positions, postdocs in the Seifert lab are strongly encouraged to develop their own projects and external funding portfolios as a pathway toward independence.  Salary follows NIH guidelines for postdoctoral researchers. Informal inquiries are strongly encouraged.  For additional information visit: http://www.ashleyseifert.com/opportunities.html

Review of applications will begin on a rolling basis and will continue until the position has been filled.  Ideal start date is summer 2019. Candidates will have completed their Ph.D. prior to starting the position but need not have defended their dissertation prior to applying.  Applicants should send a single pdf document to Ashley Seifert (awseifert@uky.edu) that includes their CV, names of three references, and a 1-2-page synopsis of their current research interests and how these complement our overall research program.

The Department of Biology houses a strong group of research labs interested in regenerative and stem cell biology using a diverse array of animal models (e.g., spiny mice, salamanders, planarians, lampreys, zebrafish) and in vitro systems.  Together, these labs create a vibrant atmosphere to pursue interdisciplinary projects across comparative genomics, developmental, regenerative and evolutionary biology.

(1 votes)

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On the 4th and 5th of February, the Crick hosted its first Developmental Biology Symposium in honour of Rosa Beddington FRS (1956-2001). Covering themes from embryonic growth to metabolism and aging, the symposium attracted more than 200 delegates from across the globe.

The symposium harnessed an impressive richness in diversity of topics and captured the raw excitement within the developmental biology field – a fitting tribute to Rosa, who was an outstanding embryologist, artist and mentor to many in the field.

The use of new interdisciplinary approaches was a recurring theme throughout the meeting. Sessions were “open plan”, drawing interesting parallels with the Crick’s research ethos, where different disciplines intermingle as an important driver for creativity and discovery. Advances in sequencing technologies are now providing unprecedented molecular resolution of how stem cells develop into the myriad of functional cell types within the body. Computer modelling techniques are providing striking predictions of how biological systems work and are helping to bridge the gap from single cells to whole tissues and organisms. Researchers are broadening our understanding of animal development and its relevance to health and disease using a veritable feast of model organisms (sea urchins, worms, crickets and killifish to name a few). And we are now beginning to develop an understanding of the complex processes that define our lifespan and, perhaps more importantly, our healthspan.

The Crick-Beddington symposium was a resounding success. With a strong focus on unpublished work, it highlighted that collaborative efforts across disciplines are accelerating fundamental insights into biological systems. An exciting future for developmental biology lies ahead.

Vicki Metzis and Alex Gould

Thanks to the Medical Research Foundation Rosa Beddington Fund and all sponsors of the Crick-Beddington 2019 event which can be accessed together with the full programme here.

(3 votes)

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A successful undergraduate science education includes teaching students science process skills, including critical analysis of primary scientific literature (PSL). Unfortunately, the use of PSL in the classroom remains limited due to several barriers. These include students struggling with the actual practice of science (as opposed to the purely linear scientific method presented in textbooks), the scientific jargon found in articles, and an inability to connect PSL to the broader context of the discipline. Additionally, most novice students are still developing the critical thinking skills needed to interpret the results and conclusions found in PSL. To complicate matters, some educators may be uncomfortable using PSL themselves due to concerns about student pushback or their sense that the material is too complex for their students.

Despite these barriers, a growing body of literature shows that PSL is a valuable and useful tool for STEM education. For example, closely analyzing PSL in a classroom setting engages students in discussion and debate around interpretations of experimental data while building their insight into both the nature of science and researchers themselves (Hoskins, Stevens, & Nehm, 2007). Teaching with scientific research papers has been shown to promote critical thinking, experimental design ability, and epistemological maturation as well as improve students’ positive attitudes to science and (Gottesman & Hoskins, 2013; Hoskins, Lopatto, & Stevens, 2011; Kenyon, Onorato, Gottesman, Hoque, & Hoskins, 2016; Murray, 2014; Round & Campbell, 2013; Stevens & Hoskins, 2014). PSL can also show students that even after a study is completed and published, there are still many unanswered questions for future scientists, and therefore promote the development of creativity through study design assignments (Gottesman & Hoskins, 2013; Hoskins et al., 2007).

Despite the diversity of positive outcomes resulting from incorporating PSL into classrooms, this method of teaching science remains relatively uncommon. Some reasons for this include: the amount of educator time spent in developing PSL lessons; difficulty with sharing and/or re-using PSL curricula because topics are often specific to particular scientific disciplines; and difficulty evaluating the higher order thinking skills involved with the use of PSL.

Annotated PSL is a promising example of a less-intensive intervention for including PSL into introductory biology courses at the undergraduate level. Annotated PSL is designed to help readers interpret complex science by overlaying additional information on top of the original PSL text: there is no modification or re-writing of the text itself. The “Learning Lens” tool is then used to selectively highlight different parts of the original text, and, when the highlighted text is clicked on, a pop-up box containing additional information will appear. Check out an example annotated PSL resource and try out the Learning Lens tool for yourself here: https://tinyurl.com/k7m329g

(Over 100 additional annotated papers covering a variety of scientific topics and disciplines can be found as part of the Science in the Classroom, a project supported by AAAS and NSF: http://scienceintheclassroom.org/)

Our lab has three main goals for incorporating annotated PSL into introductory biology courses:

1. Minimize the time investment for instructors
2. Minimize alteration to existing courses and plans of study
3. Increase student confidence in being able to deconstruct future PSL

In our first pilot study, published recently in PLOS Biology, we addressed goals 1 and 2 and aimed to develop an implementation protocol. For this study, we collaborated with seven different biology courses at Florida International University. We used the same annotated PSL for all in-class activities described in this study: “Caffeine in floral nectar enhances a pollinator’s memory of reward” (https://tinyurl.com/k7m329g, the same example we encouraged you to try out above). We chose this article because incorporated many different aspects of biology, including evolution, ecosystem interactions, basic botany, learning and memory, and animal behavior in a single study, making this paper applicable in a wide variety of undergraduate courses (goal #2).

Because this was the first time annotated PSL was examined as part of a scientific study, our methods were exploratory in nature. We started at the beginning with collecting baseline data on how students interacted with the annotations themselves. Specifically, we measured average time students spent interacting with the annotated PSL, asked students what they liked about using annotated PSL, and whether or not the topic of the annotated PSL related to their course. We are currently working on analyzing these data.

Regarding implementation, we had the most success when instructors introduced the annotated PSL to their class and allowed for ~20 minutes of class time for reading followed by a few clicker questions related to the science in the article. We consider a total of ~40 minutes to be a minimal time investment for instructors with minimal alterations to existing courses and plans of study.

Moving forward, we are currently analyzing data collected from annotated PSL given as homework assignments with accompanying iClicker questions given at the start of the next class. We are also collecting student self-efficacy relating to reading PSL as a part of this study.

We are always looking for more collaborators to expand the reach of annotated PSL beyond FIU. If you and your students would like to join one of our studies please let us know!

Melissa McCartney

mmccartn @ fiu.edu

References

Gottesman, A. J., & Hoskins, S. G. (2013). CREATE Cornerstone: Introduction to scientific thinking, a new course for STEM-interested freshmen, demystifies scientific thinking through analysis of scientific literature. CBE Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0201

Hoskins, S. G., Lopatto, D., & Stevens, L. M. (2011). The C.R.E.A.T.E. approach to primary literature shifts undergraduates’ self-assessed ability to read and analyze journal articles, attitudes about science, and epistemological beliefs. CBE Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-03-0027

Hoskins, S. G., Stevens, L. M., & Nehm, R. H. (2007). Selective use of the primary literature transforms the classroom into a virtual laboratory. Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.107.071183

Kenyon, K. L., Onorato, M. E., Gottesman, A. J., Hoque, J., & Hoskins, S. G. (2016). Testing CREATE at Community Colleges: An Examination of Faculty Perspectives and Diverse Student Gains. Cell Biology Education, 15(1), ar8-ar8. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.15-07-0146

Murray, T. A. (2014). Teaching students to read the primary literature using pogil activities. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.20765

Round, J. E., & Campbell, A. M. (2013). Figure facts: Encouraging undergraduates to take a data-centered approach to reading primary literature. CBE Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-07-0057

Stevens, L. M., & Hoskins, S. G. (2014). The CREATE Strategy for Intensive Analysis of Primary Literature Can Be Used Effectively by Newly Trained Faculty to Produce Multiple Gains in Diverse Students. CBE Life Sciences Education, 13(2), 224–42. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.13-12-0239

(4 votes)

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The Francis Crick Institute held the 1^st Crick-Beddington Developmental Biology Symposium last week, beginning on Monday the 4^th of February. The two-day meeting was held in honour of the memory of leading UK embryologist, Rosa Beddington FRS (right), head of the Division of Mammalian Development at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) from 1993 until 2001. The symposium promised to be an inspiring meeting full of fond memories and first-class science, featuring fifteen invited plenaries – many of whom were colleagues of Rosa Beddington.

In addition to her pioneering work on mouse embryology, Rosa is also widely known for her scientific drawings and lab-book sketches. Her artistic talents are immortalised in her design of the British Society for Developmental Biology’s Waddington Medal and the BSDB later used one of Beddington’s artworks featuring mice on a DNA helix for the Beddington Medal.

I always enjoy a visit to the Crick. Although I have never worked in the building, I studied my PhD at the NIMR in Mill Hill so in some ways the Crick feels the closest thing to home. It was great to see some familiar faces and catch up with old friends. This was also my first visit to the Crick as a Reviews Editor for Development, so I was also looking forward to meeting new colleagues for the first time and being inspired by talented speakers on a diverse range of topics.

Sessions were interspersed with lunch and refreshment breaks in the Manby Gallery, which featured a poster session of around 30 posters. Lunch also included an opportunity to look around the exhibits from sponsors and to stop and watch a slideshow of Rosa’s artwork, which had been collated together from archives, friends and colleagues.

The symposium began with opening remarks from organiser Alex Gould. Alex spoke of Rosa Beddington’s legacy both to science and community, and reminisced about his own history with Rosa, who had hired him to join the NIMR. Alex also introduced the official Twitter hashtag—#CrickBeddington2019—to use throughout the symposium. Take a look for more Tweets, summaries and discussion from the event.

“Often, when I have to make a difficult decision, I wonder what Rosa would have done.”
Alex Gould

The first plenary speaker of the symposium, Elizabeth Robertson, began by sharing her fond memories of working with Rosa. Although, initially, Liz thought Rosa was “really super scary” they became good friends while working as demonstrators at the Cold Spring Harbour Course 1986-1990. During their careers, Rosa and Liz collaborated on research projects during weekends and co-authored reviews, for which Rosa illustrated the figures. Liz discussed how Nodal signalling “makes heads and tails of the early mouse embryo” and regulates the fate of precursor primordial germ cells. Concluding her talk with a photo of Rosa that hangs in the Dunn School of Pathology, Liz provided a final sentiment to Rosa, stating that she “sees her every day”.

Rosa’s favourite model, the mouse, featured in a number of other talks during the symposium. Tristan Rodriguez, a former Post Doc in Rosa’s lab, discussed the role of p53 and mTOR signalling in eliminating unfit cells. Tristan demonstrated that cells are capable of sensing subtle differences in mitochondrial performance to determine cell fitness. Sally Dunwoodie showed that the human HAAO/KYNU phenotypes (genes that encode enzymes of the kynurenine pathway) are caused by NAD deficiency. HAAO/KYNU mutant mice are phenotypically normal unless fed a diet low in vitamin B3, providing a model for NAD deficiency and an example of gene-environment interaction in development. In the final talks of the symposium, Hironobu Fujiwara presented live imaging data used to identify the elusive hair follicle stem cell progenitors, which form concentric rings within the basal epidermal cells of the mammalian skin, and Kat Hadjantonakis shared data from carefully controlled single-cell sequencing experiments, revealing the extra-embryonic or embryonic origin of cells in the mammalian gut tube.

Far from being mouse-centric, however, a variety of other model organisms were showcased. Kate Storey began with what is possibly the only illustration of a chicken drawn by Rosa Beddington and described the chromatin dynamics that occur during chick neuromesodermal progenitor differentiation in response to FGF/ERK signalling. Steve Wilson presented beautiful confocal images of the zebrafish brain and demonstrated the role of the parapineal gland in establishing habenular asymmetry for light and odour response. Steve also advocated for the study of behaviour as a read-out for phenotype. In a second appearance from the Wilson lab, Rodrigo Young presented a project that “began with a mutant without a phenotype” and showed that tcf7l1a zebrafish mutants have prolonged proliferation to develop normal size eyes despite a 50% reduction in the eye field. Can Aztekin (a PhD student in John Gurdon‘s group) shared single-cell sequencing used to identify a new cell type termed “regeneration-organising cell” (ROC), which migrate to amputated sites and are required for Xenopus tail regeneration.

Human development also featured; Pierre Vanderhaeghen presented exciting new data that indicates mitochondrial dynamics influence the differentiation of neural progenitors to neurons in the human cortex and Ana Pombo discussed the advantages of using genome architecture mapping (GAM) to understand 3D genome topology at a single-cell resolution, explaining how the technology could be applied to interrogate human systems.

Highlighting new research in invertebrate systems, Roberto Feuda showed that the vast majority of genes expressed in the apical organ of the sea urchin are conserved with Drosophila brain. In addition, brain regionalisation genes are also expressed in restricted compartments of the sea urchin embryo. In addition, Géraldine Williaume (a PhD student from Hitoyoshi Yasuo‘s group) demonstrated how bimodal Ephrin/Eph signalling can integrate graded ERK and FGF signals to specify ascidian neuronal cells.

Regulation of developmental size was a recurring theme during the symposium. On the first day, Cassandra Extavour reminded us that all projects should start in the library. Her lab has used machine reading to compile a database for challenging long-held hypotheses about insect egg shapes and sizes. Ultimately, ecology is a better determinant of egg size and shape than developmental rate or “cost” ratios. On the second day, Jochen Rink shared recent data on mechanisms of size and scaling, exploiting the striking ability of planarians to increase and decrease up to 40-fold in size and concluding that size depends on the relationship between mass and the number of cells. Finally, Patrick Müller demonstrated how in vivo data and mathematical models can be used to understand rapid, proportional scaling of morphogen gradients during embryogenesis and entertained the audience with his “drunken sailor” analogy of morphogen dispersal.

Indeed, mathematical models were utilised by a number of speakers. Cerys Manning, a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow in Nancy Papalopulou’s lab, revealed how mathematical models can be used to explore Hes-oscillations and determine the parameters for cells to transition into oscillatory patterns of gene expression. In addition, James Sharpe began his talk with a tribute to Rosa and the NIMR and revealed new approaches for the mathematical modelling of limb development, which included a detailed staging method for the mouse limb bud.

Finally, I was excited to hear about development “beyond the embryo” with two talks on ageing. In a fascinating talk, Scott Pletcher shared unpublished data revealing healthy flies have reduced longevity when visually exposed to other naturally deceased flies. These data suggest the existence of neural states that influence ageing and physiology through sensory perception. In addition, Dario Riccardo Valenzano introduced the benefits of using the short-lived turquoise killifish as a model and showed that as killifish age, the diversity in the microbiome and B-cell antibodies decreases. Interestingly, colonisation of the gut of microbiota from young fish can increase longevity in middle-aged animals.

Jean-Paul Vincent concluded the symposium by thanking the speakers, the Crick Events team, sponsors and co-organisers; Rita Sousa-Nunes from King’s College London, and James Briscoe and Alex Gould from The Francis Crick Institute. Finally, he announced that the 2^nd Crick-Beddington Developmental Biology Symposium will be in two years’ time, in 2021. I hope that the 250 attendees will join me in thanking the organisers for their effort in putting the symposium together, chairing sessions and making sure it was an enjoyable event for all. I also thank all the speakers for sharing their stories, both scientific and otherwise, to make this a personal and sincere tribute to Rosa Beddington.

(4 votes)

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Press Release from the John Innes Centre (link)

New evidence has emerged about the agriculturally important process of vernalization in a development that could help farmers deal with financially damaging weather fluctuations.

Vernalization is the process by which plants require prolonged exposure to cold temperature before they transition from the vegetative state to flower. For decades it’s been a key focus of research into plant development and crop productivity.

But how vernalization might work under variable temperatures in the field has been unclear, as have some of the underlying molecular controls of the process.

The research carried out by John Innes Centre scientists in collaboration with colleagues in Hungary and France shows that vernalization is influenced by warm conditions as well as cold, and a much wider temperature range than previously thought.

Led by Dr Laura Dixon, the study began as an exploration into how variance in ambient temperatures might influence flowering regulation in winter wheat. But it unexpectedly uncovered an “extreme vernalization response”.

“We have shown that vernalization responds to warmer conditions than those classically associated with vernalizing. Before this study we thought vernalization only happened up to a maximum of about 12°C, but the true temperature is much higher. This information is immediately useful to breeders,” says Dr Dixon.

The researchers used a panel of 98 wheat cultivars and landraces and exposed them to temperatures ranging from 13 to 25 °C in controlled environments.

Normally, once the vernalization process completes, plant growth is accelerated under warm temperatures. But the team identified one cultivar, named Charger, which did not follow this standard response.

Gene expression analysis revealed that the wheat floral activator gene (VRN-A1) was responsible for this trait. Further experiments showed that expression of genes that delay flowering is reactivated in response to high temperatures (of up to 24 °C), demonstrating that vernalization is not only a consequence of how long the plant experiences continuous cold.

This study published in the journal Development highlights complex workings of a genetic network of floral activators and repressors that coordinate a plant’s response to a range of temperature inputs. It also finds that the Charger cultivar is an extreme version of a response to warmer temperatures that may be prevalent in winter wheat cultivars.

The team is now looking to provide diagnostic genetic markers which will allow breeders to track the distinct allele responsible for this warm-temperature vernalization trait. They also hope to use their new knowledge of warm weather interruption to reduce the length of vernalization in the breeding cycle, so that new wheat lines can be generated more quickly.

Dr Dixon explains: “This study highlights that to understand the vernalization response in agriculture we must dissect the process in the field and under variable conditions. The knowledge can be used to develop new wheat cultivars that are more robust to changing temperatures.”

The full study VERNALIZATION1 controls development response of winter wheat under high ambient temperatures, appears in the journal Development. 

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The Park laboratory has an immediate opening for postdoctoral fellow positions in the Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. The focus of our research is to examine the role of airway epithelial cells in health and disease. We recently discovered striking phenotypical changes of bronchial epithelial cell layer: unjamming and jamming transitions (Nature Materials, Park et al, 2015). These jamming and unjamming behavior could be critical for repair and regeneration of the airway. Also, we found that bronchial epithelial cells are a source of extracellular vesicles, which might be implicated in asthma pathogenesis (Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, Mitchel JA, 2015). Using primary bronchial epithelial cells and mouse tracheal epithelial cells in air-liquid interface culture and mouse models of allergic asthma, we use biochemical and biophysical tools to determine the link between biophysics and biology in airway epithelial cells and their cooperative role in airway disease.

For more information, please visit: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/park-lab/

Applicants must have a recent M.D. or Ph.D. in Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field. Previous experience with lung biology and mouse models of asthma or pulmonary fibrosis is required. Up to 3 years of support is available. Support from an NIH T32 training grant is available in the MIPS program.

Please send a CV, a brief statement of goals, and three references (including names, email addresses, and phone numbers) to hsphparklab@gmail.com.

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The Posfai Lab (www.posfailab.org) at Princeton University is looking to recruit a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow. Our group studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cell fate choice and morphogenesis during early embryonic development, using the preimplantation mouse embryo as a model system. Our main approach is combining genetic engineering and quantitative, high-resolution live imaging using light sheet microscopy. The lab’s assets include our recently developed highly efficient genome editing method in mouse embryos and our own light sheet microscope dedicated to preimplantation embryo imaging.

The postdoctoral candidate should have a strong interest in developmental biology and mouse genetics. Experience in light sheet microscopy and/or computational image analysis is preferred, but not necessary. Motivation and excellence is valued more than previous field of study.

The candidate will benefit from an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment at Princeton and the vibrant and supportive atmosphere of a junior lab. Researchers at the rank of Postdoctoral Research Associate are ordinarily appointed for one year at a time. Appointments are reviewed annually to consider reappointment and salary level. The position is benefits-eligible.

To apply, email your CV and cover letter explaining your interests and motivation to Eszter Posfai (eposfai@princeton.edu) and arrange for three reference letters to be sent on your behalf.

For more information, visit www.posfailab.org.

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The Bressan Laboratory (www.bressanlab.com) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is inviting applications for a postdoctoral fellow interested in developmental Cell Biology and Physiology research. The focus of the position will be to explore the genetic and molecular events that control cellular diversity during cardiovascular development. Specifically, candidates will conduct direct in vivo over expression, live imaging, cell sorting, primary culture, and next generation sequencing to explore how alterations in transcriptional activity and cellular mechanics influence physiological fate in the embryonic heart. The applicant is expected to manage an independent research project and to train students and other fellows in the laboratory.

For more information or to apply see (https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/155101), or contact the lab directly at www.bressanlab.com.

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