Postdoctoral Researcher in Developmental Biology with in utero next generation single cell lineage tracing

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Description of the Andersson lab

The Andersson Lab is dedicated to uncovering the mechanisms that guide organ systems to develop their correct cellular identities and architectures. As developmental biologists, we explore why and how genetic mutations lead to specific defects during embryogenesis. Our research emphasizes innovation, as we design novel methods to analyze organ architecture and pioneering technologies to manipulate gene expression and embryonic development in mice. Our goal is to advance our understanding of fundamental developmental processes while contributing insights relevant to human health. The lab is supported by the Swedish Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the European Research Council (ERC), among others. The Andersson lab is part of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Karolinska Institutet, located in the BioMedicum Solna campus.

For more information about the lab, please see www.anderssonlab.com

Your mission

We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join an innovative ERC-funded project. Your aim will be to resolve embryonic cell fate lineages with unprecedented resolution. The project builds on our establishment of in utero injection to manipulate the nervous system (Mangold et al, 2021), which we applied to barcode lineage tracing neural crest in collaboration (Kameneva & Artemov et al, 2021), and which can be combined with spatial transcriptomics (Ratz et al, 2022). The project involves further optimizing and automating in utero nano-injection methods to target multipotent cells at early developmental stages, enabling precise manipulation and lineage tracing of germ layer derivatives. Advanced techniques, including single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and lentiviral barcoding, will be employed to reconstruct lineage trees and uncover cell fate dynamics. The candidate will use existing bioinformatic pipelines to resolve embryonic lineages based on embryonic barcoding, and will be expected to stay at the forefront of next generation single cell lineage tracing. The successful candidate will work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment with access to world-class facilities and expertise in developmental biology, genetics, and computational analysis.

The ERC highlighted the project as an example of funded research, for more details, please see:

https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/consolidator-grants-2024-examples-projects#LIMITLESS

Please also see: https://news.ki.se/four-ki-researchers-awarded-2024-erc-consolidator-grant

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor, a PhD or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

The applicant shall hold a PhD degree in the field of developmental biology, transcriptomics or similar relevant research area. Skills in the following areas are meritorious: RNA omics, bioinformatics, mouse work (Felasa certification), especially surgery, embryonic dissections, and/or programming/engineering of robotic equipment. The applicant should have a high degree of independence and motivation, and also be willing to work in a team given the collaborative nature of the project.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Stockholm

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Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

• PhD certificate
• A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)
• A brief description of research interests and what the candidate would like to investigate/develop as a project in the Andersson lab (1-2 pages). The description should explain why the candidate is interested in developmental biology and lineage tracing, and which questions the student think are of interest to address in this project. The letter should also describe the student’s perspective on the usefulness of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, for example in the course of the project. If ChatGPT or similar tools were used in the preparation of the application, then describe how this was used.

Welcome to apply!

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!