Postdoctoral Research Fellow S90320

The Faculty wishes to recruit two Postdoctoral Researchers to study the biology of pluripotency in the team of Prof Austin Smith. These European Research Council funded posts are immediately available to 30 June 2026. Based in the interdisciplinary Living Systems Institute, the successful applicants will join a world-leading programme of investigations into the plasticity of the pluripotency network in different mammals. Applicants should be motivated by fundamental curiosity with a particular interest in early development and/or cell fate decision-making.

The Faculty wishes to recruit two Postdoctoral Researchers to study the biology of pluripotency in the team of Prof Austin Smith. These European Research Council funded posts are immediately available to 30 June 2026. Based in the interdisciplinary Living Systems Institute, the successful applicants will join a world-leading programme of investigations into the plasticity of the pluripotency network in different mammals. Applicants should be motivated by fundamental curiosity with a particular interest in early development and/or cell fate decision-making.

Post 1: Naïve pluripotent stem cells have to date been established only from rodents and primates. Our goal is to design signalling environments for capturing naïve pluripotent stem cells from livestock and other mammals, including marsupials. Approaches will include pluripotency network resetting and somatic cell reprogramming, as well as direct derivations from livestock embryos. This post requires cell culture aptitude, experience with genetic manipulations, and knowledge of developmental signalling.

Post 2: Mouse and human naïve pluripotent stem cells have overlapping but distinct gene regulatory networks and exhibit different direct lineage potencies. Our goal is to uncover the core gene regulatory network shared across mammalian species. Approaches will include genetic perturbations, transcriptome and chromatin analyses, and network inference. This post requires advanced skills in molecular cell genetics, ability to use basic sequencing analysis pipelines, and an interest in molecular networks.

Both posts will involve extensive stem cell culture experimentation including molecular reprogramming, genetic manipulation, signalling pathway manipulation, and targeted chemical and genetic screens. Transcriptomic and multimodal ‘omics analyses will be carried out in partnership with computational/bioinformatics members of the group.