Sainsbury Laboratory

Applications are invited for a Research Associate (RA) position in the group of Professor Henrik Jonsson 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 BBSRC-funded project "Tipping the balance: utilising hormonal crosstalk to control stem cell plasticity", with the aim of building a virtual shoot meristem using multi-level data and computational modelling to investigate stem cell plasticity.

The main focus of the RA's part of the project will be on computational modelling of hormonal regulation of gene regulatory networks to predict mechanisms underlying stem cell patterning and plasticity in the shoot stem cell niche. 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. In addition, AI methods for generating regulatory hypotheses between genes, hormones and physical properties can be developed.

Applicants must have or be close to obtaining a PhD or MPhil in Computational Biology, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Bioengineering, Systems Biology or a related field. 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.

Proficiency in modelling using differential equations is required. Candidates are expected to have experience in developing and implementing computational models for computer simulations. Software development in C++ and/or Python is expected, and experience in model analysis and parameter optimisation is beneficial. Experience in machine learning and neural networks is desirable.

https://www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/research-assistantassociate-computational-biology-pt48534