Postdoctoral Researcher (100%)

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is a world-leading institute in global health with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. Associated with the University of Basel, Swiss TPH combines research, education and services at local, national and international levels. 950 people from 80 nations work at Swiss TPH focusing on infectious and non-communicable diseases, environment, society and health as well as health systems and interventions.

The Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology (MPI) Department at Swiss TPH investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying pathogen biology and survival, host-pathogen interactions or drug resistance. Further activities include studies on disease transmission, immunity to infection, pathogen population structure and preclinical and clinical studies testing new disease interventions. The Malaria Gene Regulation Lab studies the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, with a focus on understanding the transcriptional and epigenetic control mechanisms regulating antigenic variation and sexual conversion and on exploring the molecular and cellular processes driving gametocyte differentiation, the life cycle stages responsible for malaria transmission. Within the frame of a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), we are offering a position for a Postdoctoral Researcher (100%).

In this project, we will combine CRISPR/Cas9-based gene engineering, super-resolution microscopy and various –omics techniques to dissect the function of proteins implicated in the earliest phase of gametocyte differentiation. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate interested in joining our small team of students and scientists passionate about applying exploratory basic research to understand the fascinating biology of malaria parasites.