Postdoctoral Fellow

Location: The Francis Crick Institute, Midland Road, London Short summary Much remains to be discovered about the dynamic regulation and principles underlying development, especially regarding the emergence and establishment of the body plan of the embryo. The Developmental Models Laboratory (Moris lab) aims to explore these themes using cutting-edge in vitro model systems. In particular, the group uses 3D gastruloids to model the coordinated emergence of multilineage tissues, axially organised in a spatiotemporal manner. Key Responsibilities We are recruiting for a post to support our recently awarded BBSRC strategic Longer and Larger project, GlycoWeb. The multi-partner project includes research groups from The University of Nottingham, Liverpool University, Manchester University, and the Francis Crick Institute and we additionally have international (USA and Denmark) and commercial partners (InterReality Labs) as part of the team.The team assembled for this programme will apply a diverse set of approaches to address these fundamental knowledge gaps using an ambitious multidisciplinary approach, integrating analyses at the transcriptional through to the multicellular level.  Candidates must hold a PhD (or be near to completion of a PhD or equivalent) in biology, cell biology, developmental biology or a related area. Candidates should also have experience of a range of techniques, with a focus on 3D cell culture models, biochemical analysis, imaging and image analysis. The position will involve stem cell biology, immunofluorescence, and glycosaminoglycan analysis. It would be advantageous to have experience of in vitro 3D stem cell-based model development, molecular characterisation methods and a reasonable understanding of glycobiology. You will work within a highly skilled, collaborative, and exciting research team, making use of state-of-the-art 3D models of development known as gastruloids to determine how changes in GAG structures affect the signalling pathways driving early development.  About us The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London. The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under in one building in Europe. The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.  If you are interested in applying for this role, please apply via our website. The closing date for applications is 21.01.2024 All offers of employment are subject to successful security screening and continuous eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.