Postdoctoral Research Associate – Swaffer lab

We are seeking highly motivated postdoc candidates to join the Swaffer lab and lead a major project addressing how cell size impacts gene expression & cellular signalling. While the significance of cell size for cellular physiology has been appreciated for many decades, we still have a surprisingly poor understanding of the mechanisms that couple the inner molecular workings of the cell to its size. Using yeast and/or mammalian cell lines as model systems, this project will take advantage of the quantitative and interdisciplinary expertise of the Swaffer lab to build on recent breakthrough discoveries regarding how transcription and cell size are coupled (Swaffer et al., Cell 2023).

The Opportunity:

We’re a multi-disciplinary group that combines approaches across cell, molecular, systems & quantitative biology, and we welcome applicants from diverse academic backgrounds. This position provides the opportunity to build an ambitious research project addressing a fundamentally important but poorly understood area of cell biology; namely cell size scaling.

Candidates with technical experience in any of the following areas are especially encouraged to apply:  quantitative single-cell microscopy, RNA biology, gene regulation & system biology.

The start date is flexible and funding is through an 8-year Wellcome Trust grant to Dr. Swaffer.

Your skills and attributes for success: 

• Strong motivation to contribute to a novel area of cell biology research: i.e. cell size.
• Strong organisational, communication and critical thinking skills to drive success working both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Command of standard techniques in molecular biology and cell culture (either mammalian cells or yeast cells).
• Expertise & training in one or more of the following: RNA biology, functional genomics, bioinformatics, single-cell imaging or quantitative image analysis.

Informal enquiries are strongly encouraged, please contact the hiring manager – Dr. Matthew Swaffer at matthew.swaffer@ed.ac.uk. Applicants are requested to provide a research statement outlining their past research experience and motivation for joining the Swaffer lab.

As a valued member of our team you can expect: 

To be part of an exciting, creative, and rigorous research team. The Swaffer lab is based within the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology which provides an inclusive, supportive, and highly collaborative scientific environment supported by state-of-the-art technology facilities via the Discovery Research Platform for Hidden Cell Biology. You will benefit from expert training in cutting-edge approaches in cell, molecular and systems biology as well as wider career mentoring and support to nurture your talents and drive success. You will benefit from a competitive reward package and a wide range of staff benefits, including generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and more. Click to access our staff benefits page for further information and use our reward calculator to find out the total value of pay and benefits provided.

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).

The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role.  If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.

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