Postdoctoral Fellow, Single-cell Transcriptomics of Helminth Parasites

The Opportunity

The Doyle Lab at the Wellcome Sanger Institute has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to investigate the transcriptional composition and response to drug treatment of the model gastrointestinal nematode parasite, Haemonchus contortus, using single-cell RNA sequencing.

About the Team

The Doyle Lab is a new research group at the Sanger Institute, funded by a £1.3 M UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship Award that broadly aims to understand “the generation and maintenance of genetic novelty in helminth populations”. To do so, the lab employs a range of molecular and computational techniques, from de novo assembly and population genetics to single-cell genomics approaches, to understand how helminth populations evolve over time. Although the lab works on both human and veterinary infective parasites, we primarily use the model sheep parasite H. contortus due to its experimental tractability and extensive genetic and genomic resources we have been developing over the last few years (see: Reference-quality genome assembly [Doyle et al 2020 Communications Biology ], genetic mapping of drug resistance [Doyle et al 2019 BMC Genomics ], Global diversity [Salle et al 2019 Nature Communications ]). This research is supported by a strong collaborative and training network that the Fellow will benefit from both inside and outside of the Sanger Institute.

About the role

Your role will be to establish and lead the development of single-cell transcriptomic methods for H. contortus. The broad research agenda will be to characterise the developmental trajectories of cells within these parasites from early larval stages throughout the lifecycle to mature adult male and female worms, and to subsequently explore the response to drug pressure and selection at single cell resolution. However, there is significant scope for the Fellow to shape the research direction to focus on different aspects of the parasite’s biology, such as sexual development, stress response, or gene regulation. We anticipate this work will lead to fundamental new insights into parasite biology and extend the tractability of using this model for vaccine and drug discovery research.

About you

We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious individual to develop, drive and deliver cutting edge research focused primarily on single-cell RNA-seq analyses. You will be detail orientated, analyse data and interpret results in their biological context, and prepare manuscripts for publication. You will be able to work independently, have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and interact well with collaborators and colleagues and the broader scientific community.

Please apply with your CV and a cover letter outlining how your skills and experience match three or more of the essential technical skills listed (and relevant desirable skills if applicable), and how this position aligns with your career aspirations. 

This position is available until the end of August 2024 in the first instance, but may be extended contingent on available funding and satisfactory performance.

Some travel, particularly between the Wellcome Sanger Institute near Cambridge and the Moredun Research Institute near Edinburgh, is required.