Research assistant position in transcriptomics and translatomics

Mar Albà, ICREA Research Professor at the Evolutionary Genomics Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) – Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Barcelona.

Tomàs Marqués-Bonet, ICREA Research Professor at the Comparative Genomics Lab, Evolutionary Biology Institute, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) - Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Barcelona.

Job description

We are seeking candidates for a two year research assistant position in Barcelona. The project involves the use of lymphoblastoid cell lines to study the transcriptome and translatome of humans and other primate and mammalian species. It is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant recently awarded to Mar Albà (“NovoGenePop”). The project is a collaboration between the group of Mar Albà and the group of Tomàs Marqués-Bonet at the PRBB in Barcelona.

The tasks and responsibilities of the post will be the following:

1. Culture and growth of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs)

2. Preparation of samples for RNA-Seq and proteomics analyses

3. Ribosomal profiling experiments in LCLs

4. RT-PCR experiments to validate gene expression

5. Collaborate with and assist PhD students and postdoctoral research associates in the work related to the project.

Requirements

A degree in Biological Sciences or a related discipline. At least two years of previous experience in the lab, including cell culturing, DNA and RNA extraction, cell transformation and manipulation. Excellent abilities to work in a team and assist others in their projects. Practical experience in ribosome profiling techniques will be highly valued.

Location

We are located at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) in Barcelona, one of the most vibrant interdisciplinary research centers in Southern Europe. The PRBB is on the sea shore and 10’ walk to the city center. It is a unique creative space that connects science and diversity. The researcher will have access to state-of-the art lab facilities, services and a wide range of training activities.

Representative Publications

García-Pérez R, Esteller-Cucala P, Mas G, Lobón I, Di Carlo V, Riera M, Kuhlwilm M, Navarro A, Blancher A, Di Croce L, Gómez-Skarmeta JL, Juan D, Marquès-Bonet T. 2021. Epigenomic profiling of primate lymphoblastoid cell lines reveals the evolutionary patterns of epigenetic activities in gene regulatory architectures. Nature Communications, 12(1):1-17.

Ruiz-Orera, J., Hernández-Rodríguez, J., Chiva, C., Sabidó, E., Kondova, I., Bontrop, R., Marqués-Bonet, T., Albà, M.M. (2015). Origins of de novo genes in human and chimpanzee. Plos Genetics, vol 11: e1005721.

Starting date and salary: The position is available from the 1st of October 2022. Technician salary 27,266-34,636 Eur per year depending on experience. The contract will initially be for 2 years.

Contact: Please send an email to Mar Albà ([email protected] ) with subject “ResearchAssistantERC” including a CV and a motivation letter, together with the name of two contacts for references. The deadline for the first round of applications is the 15th of July 2022.