Postdoctoral Training Fellow x2: Immunology and Computational Biology

Short summary

2 Wellcome Trust funded postdoctoral research posts (immunology and computational biology) in the laboratory of Moritz Treeck (www.treecklab.org) are available. We are looking for curious researchers to investigate the complex interaction of effector proteins that one of the most successful parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, injects into its host cells. Novel single-cell sequencing methods that combine CRISPR screens in the parasite and analysis of transcriptional responses in host cells will be employed to map all Toxoplasma effector proteins that alter host cell behaviour in various hosts and cell types. The function of the effector proteins will be studied in cell culture and in vivo to investigate how effector proteins injected into a host cell can lead to systemic changes of the immune response. This project will appeal to those with an interest in the cell biology and innate immunology of host-pathogen interaction and the complex analysis of single cell sequencing datasets. Extensive collaborations with immunology and cell biology groups within the Francis Crick institute, and co-supervision of the computational work by Prof. Manfred Claassen using machine learning approaches provides a stimulating and diverse framework. 

Project Summary

To perform this work, we are looking for 2 motivated postdocs with a strong interest in infection biology and host-pathogen interaction. We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with a background in either of the following:

• Cellular immunology of the innate immune system. A very good understanding of the innate immune system and how its components function together is desirable. Experience in working with mice is essential.

• Computational biology. A solid background in bioinformatics/statistics and enthusiasm to tackle highly complex biological problems is essential. Experience in analysis of single-cell sequencing data would be a plus. The primary role will be to develop analysis methods for multi-model single-cell sequencing in a novel host-pathogen interaction context, but there may also be opportunities to be involved in wet-lab data generation. This position will be co-supervised by Prof. Manfred Claassen, a specialist in advanced single cell analysis methods (https://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/de/das-klinikum/mitarbeiter/profil/2147 ).

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under in one building in Europe.

The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.

• If you are interested in applying for this role, please apply via our website.
• No closing date.
• All offers of employment are subject to successful security screening and continuous eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.