Postdoctoral Fellow - CRISPR/Cas9 screens in immune cells : Cambridge, United Kingdom

Postdoctoral Fellow – CRISPR/Cas9 screens in immune cells

Salary range: £30655 to £38428 per annum plus excellent benefits.

Fixed-term for 3 years.

Two postdoctoral positions are available at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) under the leadership of Dr Daniel Gaffney (WTSI), Dr David Tough and Dr Matthew Edwards (both at GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage). The positions provide an exciting opportunity for the successful candidates to apply cutting edge technology, utilizing induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC) andCRISPR/Cas genome editing, to identify new potential therapeutic targets for immune-mediated diseases. The project builds on recent initiatives at the Sanger Institute to generate large numbers of human IPS cells. The positions are part of a new translational initiative at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, OpenTargets.

The goal of the project is to dissect the genetic architecture of immune cell phenotypes using an IPSC-based screening platform. Specifically, the post-holders will be responsible for developing and optimizing a protocol for the generation of IPSC-derived dendritic cells, characterizing these cells at phenotypic, functional and molecular levels, developing and executing CRISPR – Cas based screens in these cells to identify immune-modulatory targets, and validating putative targets in IPSC-derived and primary dendritic cells. We welcome candidates with a background in cell biology, molecular biology and/or immunology with extensive experience in performing cell and molecular biological assays. Experience in mammalian cell culture and flow cytometry are highly desirable, as is a background with handling human immune cells. The candidates will have the opportunity to interact with active computational and experimental research teams working at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), using cutting edge genomic and cellular techniques.

Open Targets is a recently established pioneering public-private initiative between GSK, EMBL-EBI(European Bioinformatics Institute) and the WTSI, located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK. Open Targets aims to generate evidence on the biological validity of therapeutic targets and provide an initial assessment of the likely effectiveness of pharmacological intervention on these targets, using genome-scale experiments and analysis. Open Targets aims to provide an R&D framework that applies to all aspects of human disease, and to share its data openly with the scientific community. The goal of the platform is to harness the power of ‘big data’ and genome sequencing to improve the success rate for discovering new medicines and share its data openly in the interests of accelerating drug discovery.

Essential Skills
• Postgraduate qualification in Biological Sciences, or equivalent qualification
• An excellent record of publication of research in high impact journals.
• Extensive experience of core molecular and cell biology techniques.
• Extensive experience with flow cytometry and mammalian cell culture
• Excellent organizational, communication skills and work ethic.
• Ability to independently develop, optimize and deploy research support, as a member of a closely collaborative team.

Ideal Skills
• Experience with CRISPR-Cas genome engineering
• A background in Immunology experience in handling and protocols for human immune cells assays
• Experience in handling human induced pluripotent stem cells
• Experience of high-throughput genomics.

Other information
The Sanger Institute is a charitably funded research centre focused on understanding the role of genetics in health and disease. We use state of the art large-scale genomic approaches to drive world-leading projects to uncover the basis of genetic and infectious disease. Our goal is to provide results that can be translated into diagnostics, treatments or therapies that reduce global health burdens.
The Institute is located near Cambridge, UK on the stunning Wellcome Genome Campus. This growing and dynamic site is the British hub of genomic science. It hosts the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), Open Targets, a Biodata Innovation Centre and will soon host Genomics England Limited’s 100,000 Genomes Sequencing Centre. The Campus is also home to the Wellcome Genome Campus Courses, Conferences and Public Engagement (CCPE) programme. The CCPE programme delivers training and engagement focussed around genomics, its applications, and implications. Its vision is to inspire a range of audiences both on the Campus and beyond it, and make the world of genomics open and accessible to all.

To help researchers to develop their skills and networks, the Institute hosts a range of scientific seminars with internal and invited speakers, scientific group meetings and skills development workshops. In addition the Campus is home to the Wellcome Trust Advanced Course and Scientific Conferences programme and the Wellcome Trust Conference Centre.

Our Benefits include: Defined Contribution Pension Scheme, Group Income Protection, Healthcare scheme, Childcare Vouchers, Workplace Nursery and 25 days Annual Leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30, plus Bank Holidays. We also have a gym, two cafes, dining facilities, and a free campus bus service. Our thriving Sports and Social Club provides many opportunities to meet with people working across the campus.

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute welcomes applications from all candidates irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, or marital or civil partnership status.