Postdoctoral Fellow

Postdoctoral Fellow – Santos Lab

Reporting to: Silvia Santos, Group Leader

Contact term: This is a full-time, fixed term (4 years) position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

Please note there is no closing date for this role and we start screening CVs and interviewing candidates from the start of a campaign. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible if you are interested in the role.

The Research Group

The Quantitative Stem Cell Biology lab, headed by Dr Silvia Santos, was established in 2018 at the Francis Crick Institute. The lab’s primary focus is understanding cell decision-making. Current areas of research include understanding regulatory mechanism regulating cell fate specification, cell cycle remodeling during cellular differentiation and the interplay between metabolism, cell cycle and cell fate. There is a strong focus on single cell analysis, advanced live cell imaging, multi-omics approaches and computations. The lab uses a variety of model systems: mouse and human embryonic stem cells (ESC), 3D organoid models of mouse and human development and mouse embryos. The team is multi-disciplinary, diverse and currently composed of four PhD students, one undergraduate student, one bioinformatician, one post-doctoral fellow and one senior laboratory research scientist. The Santos lab promotes independent, creative thinking and provides excellent training and mentorship.

For more information on the Quantitative Stem Cell Biology lab please see:

The Francis Crick Institute provides an outstanding community and scientific environment for postdoctoral training. It offers an excellent training program for postdocs. Opportunities include the post-doc to PI transition training (optional), a wide range of training opportunities in computational/ experimental/out-of-the-lab skills, the opportunity to hire/supervise summer students, the opportunity to organise scientific meetings and the potential to have collaborative projects with industry.

Informal enquires can be sent directly to Dr Silvia Santos at silvia.santos@crick.ac.uk

The Project

A potential project is to understand the interplay between cell division and cell identity during human development, reprogramming and disease using hESC and organoid models.

In this project, some of the specific aims include but are not limited to:

• To use genome editing technologies to perturb the cell cycle-cell identity cross-talk
• To measure cell cycle dynamics during cellular transitions by state-of-the-art live cell imaging
• To integrate sequencing (OMICS) and imaging data sets

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to decide on the exact project(s) they want to undertake during their postdoc time in the lab. Specifics of different projects will be discussed with Dr Silvia Santos. The successful candidate can either choose one of these projects or decide to undertake a new, independent project within the lab’s interests.

Postdoctoral Fellows will lead their own research project(s) and may contribute to other collaborative projects (both within the lab and with external collaborators). Postdocs within the lab are expected to contribute to an excellent lab culture and train (junior) colleagues. Postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to manage collaborative work with Science Technology Platforms at the Francis Crick Institute. The ability to work independently and as part of the team is essential. Excellent communication skills are essential. The postholder is expected to either already have some expertise in data analysis or be willing to learn while in the lab. Training will be available at the Institute and within the lab in programming languages such as R. The postholder will be responsible for maintaining very organised lab records and protocols. The postholder will be expected to present their work internally and encouraged to attend and present at national and international scientific meetings. The postholder will be encouraged to make the most out of the training and network opportunities for postdoc fellows at the Francis Crick Institute.

Key experience and competencies

The post holder should embody and demonstrate our core Crick values:

Bold; Open; Collegial

Essential

• PhD in areas relevant to Cell, Molecular or Developmental Biology (or in the final stages of PhD submission)
• Passion for and track record in understanding Gene Regulation and fate decisions
• Expertise in sequencing/OMICS approaches (any, including, RNAseq, ATACseq, ChIPseq)
• Good knowledge of genome editing approaches
• Extensive expertise with cell culture
• Excellent communication skills
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in referred journals
• Evidence of presenting data at scientific meetings
• Evidence of embodying the core Crick values: collegial, creative, open

Desirable

• Experience with microscopy will be an asset
• Experience with genome editing approaches will be an asset
• Experience with R or another programming language
• Experience working collaboratively and/or having trained junior colleagues

About Us

At the Crick, we conduct research at the forefront of biomedical research. We combine rigour with an open and collaborative culture, and are outward-looking, reflecting our status as a partnership of six organisations aiming to pool knowledge, ideas and resources.

We have a wide research portfolio with no divisions or departments, bringing biomedical researchers together with clinicians, physical scientists and applied scientists from our pharmaceutical partners.

We aim to attract the most talented researchers and support them to tackle innovative research questions. Our science technology platforms provide our researchers with access to state-of-the-art technology and expertise.

We provide an excellent learning environment with dedicated education programmes in public engagement with science, education and personal development, and a postdoc training programme that prepares scientists for leadership roles in science.

• If you are interested in applying for this role, please apply via our website .
• All offers of employment are subject to successful security screening and continuous eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.
• If you require a visa to work in the UK we will help support your application should you be successful

Find out what benefits the Crick has to offer:

For more information on our great pay and benefits package please click here:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, pregnancy, age, disability, or civil partnership, marital or family status. We particularly welcome applications from people who are Minority Ethnic as they are currently underrepresented in the Crick at this level.

Diversity is essential to excellence in scientific endeavour. It increases breadth and perspective, leading to more innovation and creativity. We want the Crick to be a place where everyone feels valued and where diversity is celebrated and seen as part of the foundation for our Institute’s success.

The Crick is committed to creating equality of opportunity and promoting diversity and inclusivity. We all share in the responsibility to actively promote dignity, respect, inclusivity and equal treatment and it is our aim to ensure that these principles are reflected and implemented in all strategies, policies and practices.

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