Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Molecular Biology

University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Oxford in Oxford is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Molecular Biology to join a synthetic genome DNA assembly project funded by ARIA. You will collaborate with Professors O'Callaghan, Flores-Fernández and Licausi to translate DNA assembly tech into plant genomes, including chloroplasts in potato and wheat.

The role is full-time on a fixed-term contract until 31 May 2028, with strong funding and opportunities to extend.

Responsibilities

• Plan and carry out experiments and analyse results in Professor O'Callaghan's laboratory.
• Develop and apply DNA assembly techniques to synthesize large DNA molecules and test new approaches.

Job description

We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Molecular Biology to work on synthetic genome DNA assembly in the University of Oxford. This is an exciting opportunity arising from a major new grant of £6.7 million from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) - a UK government funding agency. You will work with Professor Chris O'Callaghan and Dr Nathali Flores-Fernández on further development and application of our DNA assembly technology to create synthetic organelle genomes. This synthetic biology project aims to move rapidly to translation with real-world testing of synthetic chloroplast genomes in relevant crop plants including potato (Solanum tuberosum) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) with Professors Steve Kelly and Francesco Licausi. Synthetic genomes will incorporate multiple variants that have arisen independently in nature and have potential to improve desirable properties, such as resistance to disease and environmental/ climate stress. This is a great opportunity to develop skills in state-of-the-art techniques while working on a project with major potential for high impact.

Your primary role will be to assist in planning and to carry out experiments and analyse the results within Professor Chris O'Callaghan's laboratory (https://www.chg.ox.ac.uk/research/research-groups/ocallaghan-group-1). This will involve molecular biology and biochemistry to undertake DNA assembly including generating constructs and testing new approaches. This is a translational project to further develop and apply technology that we have invented to assemble large DNA molecules of any sequence with ease. Using this technology, it is possible to rapidly and simply assemble DNA molecules up to hundreds of thousands of base-pairs in length. We have progressively improved and simplified this technology which uses recombinant DNA methylases as published in PubMed 40548934, PubMed 41858718, and PubMed 38270650. There may also be some expression and purification of recombinant enzymes such as methylases. There is also scope for some bioinformatic/ computational analysis but this is primarily a laboratory-based post. The laboratory is well equipped for this work and for testing the function of assembled DNA molecules. The project will enjoy a high level of funding and if successful there is potential for a further 2 or 3-year phase of funding to be awarded. The project collaborators include Professor Francesco Licausi and Professor Steve Kelly.

You will be responsible for managing your own academic research and administrative activities, adapting existing and developing new scientific techniques and experimental protocols.

This position is offered full time on a fixed term contract until 31 May 2028 and is funded by the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA).