Postdoctoral position in Bioengineering and genetics

ICFO is offering a postdoctoral position to a well-qualified, highly motivated and dynamic young scientist who wishes to enhance his/her scientific career in a friendly and stimulating environment.

The successful candidate will be joining the Group of Neurophotonics and Mechanical Systems Biology group led by Michael Krieg. The group has extensive experience in mechanobiology in C. elegans and zebrafish using advanced microscopy techniques, genetically encoded FRET reporters, microfluidics and atomic force microscopy to interrogate fundamental mechanical processes in neurons and during development. We use C. elegans due to its many advantages as a genetic model system and its wealth of mutant and cell biological tools. Also, we combine experiments with theory and simulations to obtain a systems view of cellular processes.

The main task of the advertised position is to investigate the fundamental physical principle of how cells in general and neurons in particular sense mechanical stresses at the molecular level. The overarching goal will be to establish a mathematical model of mechanotransduction, informed by genetic and biochemical experiments.

The advertised position is targeted at PostDocs with prior experience in systems biology or bioengineering with strong background in molecular biology and microscopy. He/She will create transgenic animals expressing force reporters in candidate mechanoreceptors and molecular methods to interfere with mechano-signaling. The project is targeted to provide a fundamental path linking mechanical switches to changes in cellular function, thus enabling  us to engineer a mechanogenetic switch in model cells as an orthogonal tool to control gene expression and cellular functions.

Candidates must hold an internationally-recognized Ph.D.-equivalent degree (or evidence of its completion in the nearest future) preferably in bio-engineering, biosystems design or molecular genetics.

The candidate should have a proven track record of biophysics and fluorescence microscopy. Positively valued will be experience in work with genetic model organism such as Drosophila or C elegans and/or mammalian tissue culture. Experience in mathematical modeling and/or image processing is considered an asset.

No restrictions of citizenship apply to the ICFO post-doctoral contracts.

The contract is offered for periods of one year, renewable for a total of up to 3 years.

Candidates should be willing to be contacted by phone during the selection process.

Candidates may contact jobs@icfo.eu for informal enquiries regarding the application, as well as address scientific enquiries to michael.krieg@icfo.eu.

For updated information about ICFO, please visit http://www.icfo.eu/