Postdoctoral position in translational genomics of diabetes - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University (www.igp.uu.se) has a broad research profile with strong research groups focused on cancer, autoimmune and genetic diseases. A fundamental idea at the department is to stimulate translational research and thereby closer interactions between medical research and health care. Research is presently conducted in the following areas: medical and clinical genetics, clinical immunology, pathology, neuro-oncology, vascular biology, radiation science and molecular tools. Department activities are also integrated with the units for Oncology, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Immunology, Clinical Pathology, and Hospital Physics at Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala. The department has teaching assignments in several education programmes, including Master Programmes, at the Faculty of Medicine, and in a number of educations at the Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology. The department has a yearly turnover of around SEK 375 million, out of which more than half is made up of external funding. The staff amounts to approximately 340 employees, out of which 120 are PhD-students, and there are in total more than 600 affiliated people.

Project description:
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified >100 genetic loci that are robustly associated with the risk of diabetes. With few exceptions, the causal genes in these loci are currently unknown. Before results from GWAS can be translated into the clinic - for example as novel biomarkers or drug targets - we need to identify and characterize the causal genes in these loci. Recent developments in CRISPR-Cas9-based mutagenesis, high-throughput imaging, and image-based analyses have highlighted the zebrafish as a promising model system for systematic, large-scale genetic screens.
The overall aim of the proposed project is to identify and characterize causal genes in GWAS-identified loci for diabetes using zebrafish model systems.

Work description:
The position is funded by an international collaborative grant that aims to characterize diabetes candidate genes using human beta-cells (Oxford), drosophila (Stanford) and zebrafish (Uppsala). The zebrafish arm of the project includes: 1) designing and testing of CRISPR-Cas9 gRNAs for efficiency; 2) generating and maintaining mutant lines using a multiplex approach, i.e. studying the effect of multiple genes simultaneously; 3) imaging diabetes-related traits using an automated positioning system and fluorescence microscope; 4) preparing samples for enzymatic assessment of whole-body lipid and glucose levels and paired-end sequencing; 5) objective quantification of image-based data; 6) quality control and analysis of sequencing results; 7) integration of multidisciplinary data and statistical analysis; and 8) dissemination of results into manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Qualifications:
Applications are accepted from highly motivated candidates with a PhD in Molecular Biology, Molecular Epidemiology, or similar. It must have been completed within three years of the application deadline. If you received your PhD earlier but special circumstances apply (i.e. prolonged periods of illness, parental leave, military service, union duties and others of similar character) then you may also be eligible to apply.
Applicants must have a documented and broad competence in basic molecular biology methodology. A successful candidate should be a highly motivated, organized, reliable team player that can also work independently and is proficient in communicating in English, both orally and in writing. Prior knowledge and experience in fluorescence microscopy, epidemiology, bioinformatics, programming and/or image-based analyses are a bonus.

The application should include a cover letter describing yourself, your research interests and your experience relevant to this position; a CV/resume; a verified list of course grades; a list of publications; and contact details for at least two reference persons. If available, letters of recommendation can also be included.

Salary: According to individual qualifications

Start date: as soon as possible

Form of employment: general temporary employment of two years

Extent of employment: 100%

For more information contact:
Marcel den Hoed, marcel.den_hoed@igp.uu.se ,070-4250752

You are welcome to apply no later than March 31 2018. UFV-PA 2018/302.