WM Keck Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships : Boston, MA and Charlottesville, VA, United States

The Department of Biology at the University of Virginia and the Wyss Institute of Harvard University seek outstanding applicants for two interdisciplinary Postdoctoral fellowships in functional genomics and 3D systems biology. The candidates will lead the development of new technologies to create the first single-cell resolution model of animal metabolism using Caenorhabditis elegans.

In the last 25 years, genomic tools have dramatically accelerated the pace of data generation. However, our understanding of how biological systems work has not grown nearly as fast. This project aims to develop and integrate C. elegans functional genomics, in animal RNAseq (FISSEQ), and whole animal single-cell resolution modeling tools to develop the first model of animal metabolism. There are currently no models that can fully represent animal life with its complex levels of organization, from genes, to cells, to organs. Without such models it is not possible to completely anticipate the effects of drugs on different organ systems, to design tissues or organs our bodies would not reject, or simply to understand life at the molecular level. Through the generous support of the WM Keck Foundation, and your leadership, we will open new doors in biology and biomedicine.

Specific goals include developing FISSEQ in whole C. elegans or optimizing and performing high-content genome-wide reverse genetics screens for fat regulators.

The candidate must have an extraordinary motivation to learn and succeed as an independent scientist. A PhD in life sciences by the appointment start date is required. Productivity documented with peer-reviewed first author publications is required. Effective oral and written communication skills are required. Experience in at least one of the following is preferred: C. elegans research and/or RNAseq (both library construction and data analysis), high-end microscopy (high-resolution or high-throughput) and/or bioinformatics and biological scripting languages (Matlab, Python/Biophyton). No previous post-doctoral experience is preferred. Occasional travel between Charlottesville, VA and Boston, MA is expected.