Research Fellow (Microbiology & Immunology)

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 72,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

The National University of Singapore invites applications for a Research Fellow to join the laboratory of Assistant Professor Yassine Cherrak within the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. The appointment is on a 1-year contract with possible extension or conversion to PhD studies.

The salary package depends on experience and qualifications. The role focuses on developing bacterial tools, conducting in vivo studies, exploring host–microbe interactions, and applying NGS to study adaptation

Qualifications

• PhD (Hons) or equivalent in Life Sciences or a related field.
• Experience in bacterial metabolism, microbial genomics, and murine models of enteric infection.
• Ability to plan and execute experiments, troubleshoot challenges, and interpret results.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with reproducible records.
• Good written and verbal communication, with ability to contribute to publications.
• Proficiency in MS Office and general IT/data-handling skills.
• Demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed publications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate bacterial genetic tools and mutant collections.
• Conduct in vivo studies using murine models of enteric colonization and infection, including experimental design and sample collection.
• Develop and apply in vitro and in vivo models to study host–microbe interactions in the GI tract.
• Apply next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches to investigate bacterial adaptation and fitness under various conditions.

Skills

Bacterial metabolism

Microbial genomics

Murine models

In vivo studies

Data analysis

Publications

Education

PhD in Life Sciences

Tools

MS Office

Data handling

Bioinformatics

NGS analysis

Job description

Company description

The National University of Singapore is the national research university of Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest higher education institution in Singapore

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Research Fellow to join the laboratory of Assistant Professor Yassine Cherrak within the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. We are overall interested in understanding how enteric bacteria colonize the gastrointestinal tract and interact with the endogenous microbiota. A particular focus of the lab is to decipher the fitness traits of multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria in the mammalian gut and identify potential probiotics strains preventing gut colonization of hard-to-eradicate strains.

Appointments will be made on a 1-year contract basis, with the possibility of extension or conversion into PhD studies. The salary package depends on experience and qualification.

The Research Fellow will be expected to:

• Develop and validate bacterial genetic tools and mutant collections, including targeted gene knockouts, transposon libraries, and/or barcoded mutant populations.
• Conduct in vivo studies using murine models of enteric colonization and infection, including experimental design, bacterial inoculation, animal monitoring, sample collection, and downstream microbiological and molecular analyses.
• Develop and apply in vitro and in vivo models to investigate host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Apply next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches (whole genome sequencing, RNA-seq, Metagenomic) to investigate bacterial adaptation, gene expression, and fitness under different environmental and host-associated conditions.

• Experience with analysis and interpretation of NGS datasets would be an advantage.
• Ability to independently plan and execute experiments, troubleshoot technical challenges, and critically interpret experimental results.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to experimental detail, with the ability to maintain accurate and reproducible research records.

Qualifications

• PhD (Hons) or equivalent doctoral degree in Life Sciences, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or a related discipline.
• Strong motivation and intellectual curiosity, with a demonstrated experience in bacterial metabolism, microbial genomics, and murine models of enteric infection.
• Ability to independently plan and execute experiments, troubleshoot technical challenges, and critically interpret experimental results.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to experimental detail, with the ability to maintain accurate and reproducible research records.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present scientific findings clearly and contribute to scientific publications.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications and general IT/data-handling skills.
• A demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications