Postdoctoral Fellow (Schistosome genomics)

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute - Biological Sciences

Fixed-term for 3 years

In the Parasite genomics group, we use large-scale sequencing approaches to study parasitic diseases of global importance, with a particular emphasis on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). We are particularly focusing our genome-wide approaches on the biology of schistosomes, one of the most important and neglected tropical diseases pathogens that infect 250 million of the world's poorest people.

As part of this initiative, we plan to recruit up to 3 enthusiastic and ambitious post-doctoral scientists to help us apply the institute's expertise in functional, experimental and population genomics to Schistosoma mansoni. The projects will depend on the skills and interests of successful applicants, but particular priorities include:

 * Exploiting the institutes' strength in single-cell sequencing to understand the spatial variation in gene expression in different life-stages of the parasite at unprecendented depth.

 * Exploiting ChIP-Seq, ribosome profiling and other sequencing-based approaches to understand epigenetics and gene regulation in schistosomes.

 * Using genome variation and/or transcriptomic approaches to understand the response to treatment with praziquantel, the mainstay of schistosome control.

 * Building reference genomes, transcriptomes and population genomics datasets to shed light on the evolution and epidemiology of Schistosoma mansoni and other schistosome species.

 * Contribute to the development of a functional genomic platform for schistosomes, that would include transfection and transgenesis approaches, high-throughput gene-silencing screening tools, application of novel genome editing technologies and insertional mutagenesis.

The parasite genomics group is also a partner in a £3.7 million Wellcome Trust-funded flatworm functional genomics initiative (FUGI) involving several European and US laboratories. These advertised posts are intended to complement this major initiative, and together lead to a step-change in our understanding of schistosome biology and ultimately in our ability to control this parasite.

The successful candidates will be encouraged to both get involved in existing projects and develop their own interests in related areas, taking advantage of the unparalleled resources and expertise available within the Institute.

Essential Skills

 * a strong track record of academic achievement, including a PhD or equivalent in a relevant biological subject

 * experience and strong technical skills in a relevant area of parasitology, molecular biology, genomics or bioinformatics and ideally in some combination of these disciplines

 * some level of computational skills and an at least basic working knowledge of statistical analysis are essential in dealing with sequencing data

 * demonstrable experience and initiative in developing and leading projects

 * strong written and verbal communication skills

Ideal Skills

 * a solid foundation in molecular biology

 * demonstrable experience in combining computational and laboratory work

 * strong track record in publishing scientific work in international peer-reviewed journals

 * experience of working with next-generation sequencing data

 * experience of working in a Unix computing environment

 * experience of working on schistosomes

 * demonstrable good project management and organisational skills.