Postdoctoral fellow in Genomics and Epigenetics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) at Karolinska Institutet conducts research and teaching in immunology, infection biology, cell biology and cancer. MTC has about 430 active employees, including 100 PhD students, 50 postdoctoral researchers and 26 professors. Key words are multidisciplinary, bridging, translational, national and international collaborations.

Division
MTC is offering a postdoctoral stipend position in the field of Computational Biology to work in the group of Dr. Vicent Pelechano. The group combines experimental and computational approaches to develop and apply novel genome-wide techniques to investigate eukaryotic transcription and gene Pelechano et al.Nature 2013, Chabbert et al. Mol. Syst. Biol. 2015, Pelechano et al. Cell 2015).

We are especially interested in understanding the regulatory mechanisms leading to the appearance of divergent gene expression programs in clonal cell population (http://pelechanolab.com/). Different cells in a population can present varying responses to the same stimulus. In some cases these differences are attributable to genetic mutations, such as the appearance of drug-resistant cells in bacterial and cancer populations. However, in other cases identical (clonal) cells can also display phenotypically heterogeneous responses. This non-genetic heterogeneity has a poorly understood origin but a significant impact on biology and human health. We combine the development of state-of-the art genome-wide approaches with the molecular dissection of fundamental biological problems.

Our lab is located in the newly established Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab, http://www.scilifelab.se/) in the Karolinska Institute campus. SciLifeLab is equiped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and core facilities, and is home to the second largest sequencing cluster in Europe. SciLifeLab Stockholm is a joint effort between Karolinska Institute, the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Stockholm University, and hosts research groups with diverse backgrounds and expertise, including basic biology, drug discovery, genomics, bioengineering, and translational medicine.

Duties
The available postdoctoral position concerns developing and applying novel genomic approaches to study the impact of epigenetics and chromatin organization in cell-to-cell phenotypic heterogeneity. The candidate will focus on the development and application of novel tools to study the heterogeneity and inheritance of chromatin marks in human cells. The candidate will use, and contribute to, novel genome-wide methods that our lab is developing to study chromatin organization at single-molecule level and integrate it with novel CRISPR based approaches. The candidate is expected to contribute his/her own ideas to the common goal of understanding how epigenetic heterogeneity contributes to the appearance of differences across clonal populations of cells.

The candidate will perform original research in genomics, and acquire the required experimental and computational skills necessary for the completion of the project. The candidate will be responsible for the experimental design, implementing analytical pipelines and integrate different kinds of genomic data to answer biologically relevant questions. The successful candidate will take a strong lead in the experimental design, and collaborate with other team members. The candidate is expected to communicate the scientific results by writing up scientific papers and attending scientific meetings. The ideal candidate is also expected to participate in the general duties of the team and to effectively communicate with scientists of very diverse backgrounds in a highly interdisciplinary and international environment.

Entry requirements
Applicants to this position should have a PhD in genomics, epigenetics or molecular biology.

Scholarships for carrying out postdoctoral research may be granted to persons living in other countries who come to Sweden with the intention of only staying in Sweden for all or part of their postdoctoral education at KI. Persons who are resident in Sweden and/or have carried out all or part of their academic education at KI or some other educational institution in Sweden cannot be considered for scholarships from KI. The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish PhD or higher.

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

The successful applicant should have experience interpreting biological data and experimentally testing their hypothesis. Previous experience in CRISPR technologies, epigenetics and chromatin organization will be highly considered. A strong interest in interdisciplinary technology development, and novel and creative thinking abilities are essential. Preferred experience also includes familiarity with tissue culture, genome editing, bioinformatics, and molecular biology techniques. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with experience in molecular biology and epigenetics to expand his/her ability to genomics. Applicants wishing to integrate computational and experimental biology approaches are also encouraged to apply.

Candidates interested in applying are encouraged to contact vicente.pelechano.garcia@ki.se for further information.

Type of scholarship
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.

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process
An employment application must contain the following documents in English:

• 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
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

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

The application is to be submitted via Varbi recruitment system. Deadline for the submission is November 24th, 2018 at midnight.