An exciting opportunity is available for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the group of Prof. Jake Harris at the Department of Plant Sciences. The laboratory is situated on the Downing Site in Cambridge and houses state-of-the-art facilities.
The project is part of a pioneering new effort to generate fully synthetic plant chromosomes, funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA, please see here for more details). To develop the critical capabilities required, the primary model organism that the candidate will be working with is the so-called 'green yeast', Physcomitrium patens, with potato as the ultimate end-goal for delivery. There are many unique advantages to Physcomitrium for plant synthetic biology, including highly efficient homology-directed repair. The project will involve a range of genomic and molecular biology approaches, from developing epigenetic insulator systems, epigenome profiling and CRISPR-based epi-engineering, to long-read sequencing, karyotyping, and live-cell imaging. The project is part of an integrated team effort involving academic and biotech laboratories across the UK and Australia.
The successful candidate is not expected to be familiar with all of the above techniques; however, experience working with Physcomitrium patens and/or other non-vascular plants is highly beneficial. Familiarity with cloning, genomics, protoplasting, and microscopy-based approaches is strongly advantageous. Evidence of successfully working in a team to achieve objectives against deadlines is highly valuable. The candidate must have strong organisational and time-management skills, a positive attitude, and good team spirit.
Informal enquiries are welcome and should be sent directly to Dr. Harris cjh92@cam.ac.uk.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
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