Research Associate/Senior Research Associate (Fixed Term)

An MRC-funded postdoctoral Research Associate/Senior Research Associate position in computational biology/data science is available for up to 3 years in in the laboratory of Dr András Lakatos at the University of Cambridge. The research group focuses on developing and using 3D human organoid models for mechanistic discoveries in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases at single-cell resolution.

This exciting computational project aims to elucidate how risks can modify early molecular pathology in various neural cell types to inform treatment strategies in Motor Neuron Disease (MND)/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The successful applicant will use and analyse single-cell multi-omics datasets deriving from MND/ALS human organoid models and patient-derived postmortem samples. The Research Associate will be able to interact with collaborating computational groups at Harvard University (Hemberg Lab) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (Bayraktar Lab), contribute to the supervision of graduate students and lead computational projects.

The post is a unique opportunity for an enthusiastic computational biologist or data scientist with an aptitude for developing an independent scientific career in the future. Fellowship applications may also be supported towards the end of the post. The candidate must have a PhD in a related subject, such as biological sciences, physics, engineering, mathematics or statistics, and a track-record of peer-reviewed publications in one of these subjects. Practical experience in one of the following analysis methods is desirable: single-cell RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, genome-sequencing or proteomics.

The candidate will join a multidisciplinary and dynamic group of basic and clinician scientists to pursue fundamental and clinically relevant questions in neurobiology. The laboratory is based in the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, with affiliation to the MRC-WT Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, which are leading centres dedicated to Regenerative Neurobiology, Restorative Neurology and Data Science. The appointee will join a vibrant and international research environment in the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which has a strong track record for empowering exceptional scientists and supporting the career development of postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds.

Key References: Szebényi, K., Wenger, L.M.D., Sun, Y., Dunn, A.W.E., Limegrover, C.A., Gibbons, G., Conci, E., Paulsen, O., Mierau, S.B., Balmus, G., and Lakatos, A. Human ALS/FTD brain organoid slice cultures display distinct early astrocyte and targetable neuronal pathology (2021). Nature neuroscience 24, 1542-1554

Giandomenico, S.L., Mierau, S.B., Gibbons, G.M., Wenger, L.M.D., Masullo, L., Sit, T., Sutcliffe, M., Boulanger, J., Tripodi, M., Derivery, E., Paulsen, O., Lakatos, A., Lancaster, M. Cerebral organoids at the air-liquid interface generate diverse nerve tracts with functional output (2019). Nature neuroscience 22(4):669-679

Kiselev, V., Kirschner, K., Schaub, M.T., Andrews, T., Yiu, A., Chandra, T., Natarajan, K.N., Reik, W., Barahona, M., Green, A.R., and Hemberg, M. SC3: consensus clustering of single-cell RNA-seq data (2017). Nature Methods 14, 483-486.

Kleshchevnikov, V., Shmatko, A., Dann, E., Aivazidis, A., King, H.W., Li, T., Elmentaite, R., Lomakin, A., Kedlian, V., Gayoso, A., Jain, M.S., Park, J.S., Ramona, L., Tuck, E., Arutyunyan, A., Vento-Tormo, R., Gerstung, M., James, L., Stegle, O., Bayraktar, O.A. Cell2location maps fine-grained cell types in spatial transcriptomics (2022). Nature Biotechnology. 40(5):661-671.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Dr András Lakatos by email at the first instance AL291@cam.ac.uk.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for up to 3 years (1 year in the first instance).

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

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and a CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

The closing date for applications is: 15th May 2023

The interview date for the role is: To be confirmed

Please quote reference ZE36317 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.

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