Research Assistant - Auxin Biology (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant position in the group of Dr Alexander Jones at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University.
The plant hormone auxin is a molecular signal that somehow weaves disparate cells, tissues and organs into the patterns of plant development. This feat is even more impressive considering plant development is continuously repatterning to match environmental dynamics. This post takes the critical step of discovering missing regulators upstream of environmentally responsive auxin dynamics. The approach will involve a portfolio of genetic screens designed to precisely redistribute auxin in space and time.
The role is part of the ERC-funded STARMORPH project, and the post holder will join an international consortium to unravel SpatioTemporal Auxin Redistribution for Morphogenesis. The four STARMorph teams are synergistically focused on the Arabidopsis apical hook as a tractable model of dynamic morphogenesis. If successful, this role will illuminate the threads of auxin dynamics helping plants decide when and how to take new shapes. For more information, please see a recent talk by Dr. Jones on YouTube (from 1hr30min to 2hrs of the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLL-mJ7KaE&list=PLoARHFjEDBUWi7F6lLrY-3rseZfF1HX3) and consult the Jones team website (https://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/research/jones-group).
Applicants must have or be close to obtaining a bachelor's degree in Plant Biology, Biochemistry, Systems Biology, Genetics, or related field. A solid foundation in molecular biology and gene cloning is required, alongside a willingness and ability to learn and work with new methodologies. We particularly welcome candidates with advanced knowledge of, and a proven track record in, any of the following techniques and concepts: Golden-gate, forward genetic screens, reverse genetics, genotyping, Q-PCR, RNAseq, confocal imaging and image analysis and Arabidopsis thaliana transformation and husbandry. Proficiency in auxin biology and plant developmental biology would also be valuable to the role.
The successful applicant will be an excellent team player, highly solution orientated and self-motivated. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, alongside the ability to work independently and with others, with a high degree of accuracy including outstanding record keeping. The Jones group is looking for someone keen to work in a highly collaborative set-up and enthusiastic to join our diverse and interdisciplinary team. Solid communication skills are required to interact with group members and other researchers at SLCU with different scientific backgrounds. Candidates should also demonstrate a history of science communication (e.g. presentations, outreach activities, teaching).
The Laboratory provides a welcoming and collaborative environment with a wide-range of family-friendly benefits and development opportunities. More about the Sainsbury Laboratory and details of what the University offers to employees, can be found at: http://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Please ensure that you upload a copy of your full CV and a cover letter highlighting your suitability for the position and contact information of three referees.
Scientific enquiries should be directed to Dr Jones at alexander.jones@slcu.cam.ac.uk.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For questions regarding the application process, please email HR@slcu.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PT47313 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Associate - Reprogramming Development (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Dr Alexander Jones' Group at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University. The aim of this position is to reprogram auxin patterns in plants to reveal the functions of specific cellular and subcellular auxin pools.
The plant hormone auxin is a molecular signal that somehow weaves disparate cells, tissues and organs into the patterns of plant development. This feat is even more impressive considering plant development is continuously repatterning to match environmental dynamics. This post takes the critical step of engineering changes to auxin dynamics revealed using novel FRET biosensors engineered by the Jones group. This will involve precise redistribution of auxin in space and time using existing tools and developing entirely new ones.
The role is part of the ERC-funded STARMORPH project, and the post holder will join an international consortium to unravel SpatioTemporal Auxin Redistribution for Morphogenesis using the apical hook as developmental model. If successful, this role will illuminate the threads of auxin mediated morphogenesis while also delivering advanced gene regulation switches for all fields.
For more information, please see a recent talk by Dr. Jones on YouTube (from 1hr30min to 2hrs of the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLL-mJ7KaE&list=PLoARHFjEDBUWi7F6lLrY-3rseZfF1HX3) and consult the Jones team website (https://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/research/jones-group).
Applicants must have or be close to obtaining a PhD in Plant Biology, Biochemistry, Synthetic Biology or related field. A solid foundation in molecular biology and in particular gene cloning is strictly required, alongside a willingness and ability to learn and work with new methodologies. We particularly welcome candidates with advanced knowledge of, and a proven track record in, any of the following techniques and concepts: protein and promoter engineering, FACS, Golden-gate cloning, RNAseq, and CRISPR editing. Additional techniques that would be of value are directed evolution, robotics-assisted screening, transient expression in leaves or protoplasts, and Arabidopsis thaliana transformation and husbandry. Proficiency in auxin biology, plant development, structural biology, and confocal imaging and image analysis would also be valuable to the role.
The successful applicant will be a creative scientist who is solution orientated and self-motivated. Excellent interpersonal skills and record keeping are essential, alongside the ability to work both independently and in teams. The Jones group is looking for a person excited about our collaborative, diverse and interdisciplinary team. Solid communication skills are required to interact with team members with different backgrounds. Candidates should also demonstrate a history of science communication (e.g. presentations, outreach activities, teaching).
The Laboratory provides a welcoming and collaborative environment with a wide-range of family-friendly benefits and development opportunities. More about the Sainsbury Laboratory and details of what the University offers to employees, can be found at: http://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Please ensure that you upload a copy of your full CV including a list of publications, and a cover letter highlighting your suitability for the position and contact information of three referees.
Scientific enquiries should be directed to Dr Jones at alexander.jones@slcu.cam.ac.uk.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For questions regarding the application process, please email HR@slcu.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PT47290 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Associate - Moyroud Group (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the group of Dr Edwige Moyroud at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University. The successful candidate will conduct fundamental research aimed at investigating the mechanisms responsible for cell fate specification and differentiation during petal development using Hibiscus trionum as a model system. The post holder will combine genetic analysis and functional investigations in planta with a range of imaging techniques (including CryoSEM and confocal microscopy) to investigate the mechanisms allowing candidates genes previously identified by the Moyroud lab to specify distinct cell shapes across the petal epidermis. This post requires pro-active and creative candidates who thrive addressing broad and ambitious biological questions, seek to broaden their experimental skills and are enthusiastic about using multidisciplinary approaches to understand how plants can pattern their lateral organs to generate functional surfaces.
Candidates must have, or be close to obtaining, a PhD in either Plant Biology, Development, Molecular & Cell Biology or Genetics. The successful candidate will have advanced knowledge of, or experience in, classical and molecular genetic techniques, assays to investigate gene expression, diverse microscopy techniques (light, SEM/TEM, confocal¿etc), plant transformation and phenotypic analysis at cellular and tissular levels. Experience working with established plant model systems, alongside a willingness and ability to work with an emerging model species, is essential. Previous experience with image analysis, producing and/or analysing next-generation sequencing data (bulk RNAseq or single-nuclei/single-cell RNAseq), and knowledge of the mechanisms governing plant morphogenesis would also be advantageous.
The successful candidate will be fully involved in writing up their research work for presentation and publication and will be encouraged and supported in preparing applications for independent fellowships. The post holder will be required to assist in the supervision of student projects and deliver seminars relating to their research area. We also actively engage in interactive outreach activities with a broad audience and a clear interest in science communication is important. The Moyroud group is looking for a strong team player, keen to work in a highly collaborative set-up and enthusiastic to join a diverse and interdisciplinary team that draws on the different experiences of its members. Continuing to build an inclusive culture that supports, encourages and celebrates diverse voices is essential to us. We are looking for a new team member with strong interpersonal skills, keen to interact with group members, support staff and other researchers at SLCU from different backgrounds.
The Laboratory provides a welcoming and collaborative environment with a strong mentoring culture and offers a wide-range of development opportunities and family-friendly benefits. More about the Sainsbury Laboratory and details of what the University offers to employees can be found at: http://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/.
Scientific enquiries apart from the formal application should be directed to Dr Edwige Moyroud at edwige.moyroud@slcu.cam.ac.uk. Please ensure that you upload a copy of your full CV including a list of publications, a covering letter highlighting your suitability for the position and contact information of three referees.
Where a PhD has yet to be awarded the appointment will initially be made at Research Assistant level and amended to Research Associate upon the award of PhD.
The post is full time and available from 15 August 2025.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 1 year in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For questions regarding the application process, please email HR@slcu.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PT46739 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant/Associate in Computational Biology (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Research Associate (RA) position in the group of Professor Henrik Jönsson at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University, to carry out fundamental research in the field of Computational Morphodynamics in plants. The work will be within the ERC-funded project RESYDE (https://resydeproject.org) with the aim of building a virtual flower using multi-level data and computational modelling to be used to design and re-engineer flower architecture.
The RA's main focus will be on computational modelling of gene regulatory networks for predicting the mechanisms leading to symmetry breaks in the patterning process. A hybrid modelling approach integrating the dynamics of a core network while utilising a virtual template from experiments for cellular growth and division will be used. AI methods for generating regulatory hypotheses between genes, hormones and physical properties will also be developed.
Applicants must have/be close to obtaining a PhD or MPhil in Computational Biology, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Bioengineering, Systems Biology or a related field. Proficiency in modelling using differential equations is required. Candidates must have experience in developing computational models and implementing models for computer simulations. Software development in C++ and/or Python is expected, and experience in model analysis and parameter optimisation is beneficial.
The successful applicant will be an excellent team player, solution-oriented and self-motivated. We are looking for someone keen to work in a highly collaborative set-up and enthusiastic to join our diverse and interdisciplinary team. Solid communication skills are required to interact with group members and other researchers within the RESYDE project and at SLCU with different scientific backgrounds.
The Laboratory provides a welcoming and collaborative environment with a wide-range of family-friendly benefits and development opportunities. More about the Sainsbury Laboratory, generic further information for the role and details of what the University offers to employees, can be found at: http://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/.
Please ensure that you upload a copy of your full CV including a list of publications, a cover letter highlighting your suitability for the position and why you want to join the Jönsson group and the RESYDE project, and contact information of three referees.
The post is available immediately.
Closing date: 10 August 2025. Please note that applications will be reviewed periodically and this recruitment may be closed early if a suitable candidate has been found. We would therefore advise that applications are submitted as soon as possible.
Where a PhD has yet to be awarded the appointment will initially be made at Research Assistant level (Grade 5) and amended to Research Associate (Grade 7) upon the award of PhD. If a PhD is not held, the appointment will be made at Research Assistant level.
Scientific enquiries apart from the formal application should be directed to Dr Jönsson at henrik.jonsson@slcu.cam.ac.uk.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 1 year in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For questions regarding the application process, please email HR@slcu.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PT46682 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
