Postdoc in Data modelling/Image analysis to investigate the molecular principles of heterosis: how progeny outperforms parents?

24 May 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Department

Department of Experimental and Health Sciences

Research Field

Biological sciences » Biology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Spain

Application Deadline

30 Sep 2023 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid)

Type of Contract

To be defined

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Offer Starting Date

1 Dec 2023

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

We open a postdoc position in the “Live-cell structural biology” group (UPF, Barcelona) to understand the general principles of heterosis: how the progeny of two parental organisms can surpass their progenitors in adaptation to life-threating environments.

Biological context: Heterosis is a phenomenon that happens when the progeny of two parental organisms acquires “superior” performance than the original parents. Although it has a massive impact on the adaptation of species to natural environments, the molecular principles that control heterosis remain unexplored. We will investigate heterosis in eukaryotic microorganisms that cannot control their “body” temperature, and therefore, are vulnerable to thermal fluctuations in the ambient. We aim to understand how species adapt their essential cellular processes to life-threating temperatures and to deliver mechanistic knowledge that aids the prediction of biodiversity loss caused by global warming.

The project: Together with a bioinformatician and two cell biologists, the researcher will exploit the diversity of non-conventional model organisms available in our laboratory and multidisciplinary microscopy. The researcher is expected to lead the development of computational tools that allow us to extract quantitative models from super resolution and particle tracking data and to deliver insight about the fundamental principles that govern heterosis in the context of climate change. The tasks of the candidate will include the implementation of image analysis for single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and particle tracking (Bayesian methods + machine learning) and to develop predictive models.

The Lab (www.gallegolab.org ): Latest funding allowed us to gather a multidisciplinary team (50% computational + 50% experimentalist) that works in the frontier between evolutionary cell biology and structural biology. The lab is highly international, and it has all the necessary facilities and expertise for the cell biology, live-cell imaging, SMLM and computational modelling. As part of the UPF, we are located at the PRBB, one of the strongest scientific campuses in southern Europe.

Requirements

Research Field

Biological sciences » Biology

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Mathematics » Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Computer science » Modelling tools

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Physics » Biophysics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Requirements:
- Strong expertise in bioimage analysis and/or data modelling.
- MSc or PhD degree in mathematics, computer sciences, physics, or related fields.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Research Field

Biological sciences » Biology

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Additional Information
Benefits

The position:
- Starting date no later than December 2023.
- Salary according to the researcher expertise
- 1+1 years position with the option to be extended.

Selection process

If you are interested, please send a short cover letter, your CV and the contact for 2-3 referees to oriol.gallego@upf.edu .

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Country

Spain

State/Province

Barcelona

City

Barcelona

Postal Code

08003

Street

Dr. Aiguader, 88

Where to apply

E-mail

oriol.gallego@upf.edu

Contact

City

Barcelona

Website

http://www.upf.edu/biomed

Street

Dr. Aiguader, 88

Postal Code

08003

STATUS: EXPIRED