Postdoctoral studies in placenta biology & epigenetic regulations of fetal development (scholarship) - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

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The postdoc project will be conducted in Assoc prof. Qiaolin Deng’s research group with the organizational affiliation to Dept. Physiology and Pharmacology. The major research interests of the group are germ cell biology, developmental programming and epigenetic inheritance of diseases. Our goal is to better understand the causal relationship between uterine environment and fetal development together with offspring’s reproductive and metabolic health. During this process, we focus on epigenetic regulation involved in cell fate specification and maturation with the state-of-the-art technologies.

The group has established several key resources and techniques in the lab including mouse reporter lines, in vitro lentiviral manipulation on human PSC differentiation, single-cell RNA and ATAC-sequencing and LCM-seq that enable us to perform high-throughput genomic and epigenomic studies. We have in-house automated library preparation pipeline and own computational server.

Please visit out website https://thedenglab.org/ for more information.

Keyword: single-cell sequencing, placenta biology, fetal programming, organoid culture, molecular biology

Duties

Growing evidence suggests that several prenatal insults such as suboptimal nutrition, endocrine disruptors, maternal stress can result in long-term structural and functional changes in offspring and lead to their propensity to develop diseases, especially the metabolic syndrome. Placenta is a temporary organ but crucial for maternal fetal interactions. The concept of “placental origins of adult disease” stem from studies where placental development affects the fetus development linked to adult diseases. The molecular understanding of this process in human has just started thanks to different tools including single-cell sequencing and organoid culture.

In this project, we aim to address the following questions:
(1) what is the molecular features and pathological alteration of human placentas in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
(2) what are the outcomes of such changes on fetal development and offspring reproductive and metabolic health?
(3) Can we modeling these features by organoid culture and set up platform for functional intervention?
(4) Can we validate candidates using relevant mouse models?

These tasks will be carried out in a stimulating and collaborative environment with a group of motivated co-workers with both experimental and computational competencies.

Your profile

We are looking for a successful candidate with following required skills:
• A highly motivated candidate with a PhD degree in placenta biology, stem cell biology, molecular biology or related area.
• Good track record working with mouse and human stem cells, organoid culture, animal models and Crispr/Cas genome editing.
• Experience with single-cell sequencing and data handling is a strength.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work both independently but also as a part of a large team.
• Knowledge of relevant biological areas (chromatin and gene expression, genetics and epigenetics)
• Knowledge of both spoken and written English and good communication skills.

Entry requirements

Scholarships for postdoctoral qualification can be established for foreign researchers who place their qualifications in Sweden. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent.
A scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research can be granted for a maximum of two years within a four year period following the receipt of a doctoral degree or equivalent.
To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) start date of the post doctoral education.

The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

Location: Biomedicum, Solna Campus

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for 1 year at time with the possibility to prolong it for another year (maximum 2 years). In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable. The scholarship is paid out semi-annually, for six months-basis at time.

Application process

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

• A complete curriculum vitae, 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 and a complete list of publications highlighting your contribution to each publication
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)
• A brief letter of motivation stating how your skills and background can contribute to the project
• Contact information of two references, recommendation letters are also welcome

The application is to be submitted on the Varbi recruitment system. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis and the position might be fulfilled before last application date. Welcome to apply!

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