Research Fellow

This position available in the Nelson group is to investigate conserved gene regulatory programmes governing nervous system and pancreas development, funded by a BBSRC standard research grant.

The objective is to understand the basis for deep and stringent conservation of enhancers at critical transcription factor genes acting in both pancreas and nervous system development throughout jawed vertebrate evolution, thus illuminating key mechanisms governing conservation of the vertebrate body plan and how enhancer mutations may lead to developmental disorders.

The post-holder will work closely with other members of the Nelson group and collaborate with Dr Robert Huckstepp's group in School of Life Sciences to perform imaging analysis of human hindbrain organoids, and the Bioinformatics & Digital Health Research Technology Platform to perform single cell multiomics data analysis.

The project will take place in the recently opened £54.3m Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, combining cutting-edge facilities with research groups from School of Life Sciences and Warwick Medical School working on related projects and systems including in the fields of developmental biology, neuroscience, human organoid and zebrafish research.

If you are near submission of your PhD, or have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made at Research Assistant level, at the highest spinal point of pay grade 5 (£34,610 per annum). Upon receipt of evidence confirming the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow, at the lowest spinal point of grade 6 (£35,608 per annum).

About You

The successful candidate will hold a PhD in vertebrate developmental biology, gene regulation, or a closely related field, and substantial practical experience of experimental molecular biology. The candidate should be able to establish and optimise new techniques in the laboratory, and to manage several experimental lines in parallel.

The successful candidate will lead an ambitious experimental genetics project exploiting human pluripotent stem cell derived organoids and zebrafish to dissect the function and regulatory logic of highly conserved enhancers functioning across the developing nervous system and pancreas. The work will combine CRISPR-mediated genome editing, single cell multiomics, and phenotypic analysis of human organoids, and fine-detail functional analysis of enhancer composition using zebrafish in vivo reporter assays.

Expected strengths in some of the following areas: mammalian pluripotent stem cell maintenance and directed differentiation, CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing, functional genomics and transcriptomics, single cell multiomics, and zebrafish imaging-based techniques. Full training will be provided across the remaining areas.

The successful applicant will lead the day-to-day experimental and analytical work.

Hybrid Working

Due to the nature of this role, there is an expectation that the postholder will spend a minimum of 80% of their time working on campus. There will be periods requiring 100% on-campus presence (e.g. due to stem cell maintenance, knock-out/knock-in production, the effective scheduling and execution of multi-day protocols etc), particularly within the first three months to support training. Following successful completion of the training period, hybrid working may be available when operationally justifiable, typically allowing for one day per week working from home.

Benefits

An attractive pension scheme, a generous holiday allowance plus Christmas closure, excellent learning and development opportunities, and savings on a wide range of products and services. A generous maternity/paternity/adoption/parental leave policy and onsite childcare facilities. Access to flexible working. The University is a Living Wage employer.