Sainsbury Laboratory
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.