Organisation/Company: Centre for Genomic Regulation
Research Field: Other
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1), Recognised Researcher (R2)
Positions: Postdoc Positions
Country: Spain
Application Deadline: 10 Oct 2024 - 23:20 (Europe/Madrid)
Type of Contract: Other
Type of Contract Extra Information: Open-ended
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 40
Offer Starting Date: 4 Nov 2024
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - ERC
Reference Number: 101041399
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) is an international biomedical research institute of excellence, based in Barcelona, Spain, with more than 400 scientists from 44 countries. The CRG is composed of an interdisciplinary, motivated and creative scientific team supported by a flexible and efficient administration and high-end innovative technologies.
The Single Cell and Synthetic Genomics of Blood Formation lab (PI: Lars Velten) at CRG Barcelona is looking for a motivated computational or mixed computational – experimental postdoc to use synthetic enhancers, CRISPR screening, and computational approaches to unravel the logic of gene regulation in blood stem cell differentiation.
Blood formation is a biomedically relevant and complex process of cellular differentiation. Our group studies adult hematopoiesis using computational biology, single cell genomics, and genetic screens. In the past four years, we have established a research line using fully synthetic DNA constructs to understand how hematopoietic stem cells transform continuous transcription factor gradients into cell state-specific gene expression patterns and engineer artificial, cell state-specific hematopoietic enhancers from scratch . In our primary hematopoietic stem cell expansion and differentiation system, we screen the cell-state specific activity of 10,000s of synthetic enhancers, alone or in combination with CRISPR perturbations of transcriptional regulators, using bulk and single cell readouts.
In your new role, you would:
Develop a project on gene regulation in the blood forming system
Analyze data from synthetic enhancer MPRA screens, single cell MPRA screens, and dual MPRA-CRISPR screens
Design experiments using these technologies and collaborate with an experienced technician to implement these experiments
Interact closely with both wetlab and computational scientists from the group
Serve as a senior member of the team and, down the road, co-supervisor of PhD students or technical staff
Your work would be part of the project "Artificial Intelligence for Synthetic Genomics of Blood", funded with a prestigious ERC Starting Grant.
About the lab My interdisciplinary group investigates the biology of hematopoietic stem cells using a combination of single cell genomics, genetic screens, and computational biology. We strive to develop novel genomic and bioinformatic tools to answer longstanding questions in the field. In particular, we cover two main research lines: a) Gene regulation in healthy hematopoiesis and b) Clonal function in ageing and disease. The lab has been established in January 2020 and currently consists of six members: Two PhD students, two bridging postdocs, one postdoc, and two senior technicians. We have received funding from the European Commission, the Spanish and German government, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, and the European Hematology Association.
Whom would we like to hire? Professional experience Must Have You hold a PhD in a relevant field (computational biology, genomics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biotechnology, etc.)
You have demonstrated your ability to lead a challenging research project
You have published at least one primary research paper during your PhD
You have strong experience in the analysis of non-standard genomics data (e.g., Perturb-Seq, CRISPR screens, Nanopore, custom RNA-seq protocols)
Experience in both exploratory and formal data analysis
You have strong programming skills in R or Python
You embrace data-driven research and are willing to collaborate with computational biologists
Desirable but not required You have, in addition to your computational training, training in experimental work (e.g., cell culture, flow cytometry, cloning, library preparation)
A strong foundation in machine learning and statistics
You have experience with deep learning environments such as TensorFlow and PyTorch
Education and training A PhD in a relevant field (biochemistry, biomedicine, molecular biology, genetics, etc.)
Languages You are proficient in English
Technical skills R and Python
Competences Success-driven
Strong academic writing skills
Ability to work as part of a team
The Offer – Working Conditions Contract duration: technical and scientific activities contract, estimated 2 years
Estimated annual gross salary: Salary is commensurate with qualifications and consistent with our pay scales.
Target start date: January 2025 (flexible)
We provide a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructures and unique professional career development opportunities.
We offer and promote a diverse and inclusive environment and welcome applicants regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
The CRG is committed to reconciling work and family life for its employees and offers extended vacation periods and the possibility to benefit from flexible working hours.
Application Procedure All applications must include:
A motivation letter addressed to Dr. Lars Velten.
Pre-selection: The pre-selection process will be based on qualifications and expertise reflected in the candidates' CVs. It will be merit-based.
Interview: Preselected candidates will be interviewed by the Hiring Manager of the position and a selection panel if required.
Offer Letter: Once the successful candidate is identified, the People department will send a Job Offer, specifying the start day, salary, working conditions, and other important details.
Deadline: Please submit your application by October 10, 2024.
The contract will be financed by the ERC Starting Grant AI4SYN. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe under the grant agreement No 101041399.
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