Postdoc Position (Gaia Pigino Lab)

Postdoc Position (Gaia Pigino Lab)

HT - Human Technopole

Milan, Italy

Job description

APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: May 28^th 2022

Human Technopole (HT) is a new interdisciplinary life science research institute, created and supported by the Italian Government, with the aim of developing innovative strategies to improve human health. HT is composed of five Centres: Computational Biology, Structural Biology, Genomics, Neurogenomics and Health Data Science. The Centres work together to enable interdisciplinary research and to create an open, collaborative environment that will help promote life science research both nationally and internationally.

The Pigino Lab, in the Centre for Structural Biology at Human Technopole (HT), is looking for a Postdoc to study the role of tubulin post translational modifications (tubulin-PTMs) in cilia assembly and function. The Pigino Lab works right at the interface between structural and molecular cell biology, combining the latest methodologies from the respective fields, but always with a strong emphasis on cryo-electron microscopy, correlative light and electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and 3D image processing. We study the structure and function of cellular machineries with a specific focus on cilia and flagella, ubiquitous eukaryotic organelles with fundamental motility, signalling and sensing functions. Our goal is to obtain mechanistic understanding of the molecular processes and machineries that are responsible for the assembly and the function of cilia. We study motile and primary cilia from unicellular model organisms such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Tetrahymena thermophila, and cell lines isolated from human organs such as pancreas and kidney.

The Pigino group has access to state-of-the-art equipment through the HT Core Facilities, including the Light Imaging Facility and Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility. The candidate will have access to a Zeiss LSM980 (confocal with Airyscan2), Zeiss LSM980-NLO (confocal and multiphoton with Airyscan2), Zeiss Elyra7 (lattice structured illumination), Nikon Ti2 with Crest spinning disk and TIRF equipped with 4 cameras, a FRAP modules, and 2 micromanipulators. The successful candidate will also be trained and become independent in using the equipment present in the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility (https://humantechnopole.it/en/facilities/cryo-electron-microscopy-facility/), such as the Leica Thunder and Stellaris for cryo-CLEM, the Thermo Scientific 300keV Titan Krios, 200keV Glacios, 120keV Talos, cryo-SEM-FIB-milling Aquilos-2, and a 300keV room temperature STEM Spectra.

S(he) will have the following main responsibilities:

• Investigate the role of tubulin posttranslational modifications (tubulin-PTMs) in cilia assembly and function. The successful candidate will approach this biological problem with techniques such as TIRF (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescent Microscopy), cell micro-manipulation, cryo-electron tomography and CLEM (Correlative Light-Electron Microscopy) (for references please consider: Stephanek and Pigino Science 2015 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27151870/; Stephanek and Pigino Methods Cell Bio 2017 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28528628/; Gadadhar et al. Science 2021 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33414192/; Nievergelt et al BiorXiv 2021 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.19.436138v1);
• Implement or develop methods to achieve the research goals;
• Present scientific work at seminars within the Human Technopole and at international meetings;
• Generate reliable data for publication and record all data and results in specified forms (paper and electronic);
• Contribute to the writing of project related scientific papers;
• Assist in the training of PhD students and contribute to the smooth running of the lab.

Job requirements

• A PhD in fields related to Biology, Biophysics, Physics, or similar;
• Advanced level of experience in the usage of light microscopes with particular focus on fluorescent microscopy techniques is required;
• Previous experience in the usage of micromanipulators is a plus;
• Previous experience in cryo-electron tomography and CLEM techniques is a plus;
• Previous experience in handling cells in culture and organelles is a plus;
• Fluency in English is required - HT is an international research institute;
• Ability to write research and review articles and prepare and present data and results to a scientific audience;
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team;
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment and to work independently;
• Ability to build trust through operating with transparency and creating an open and positive environment;
• Special consideration will be given to candidates who are part of the protected categories list, according to L. 68/99.

Please apply sending a CV, motivation letter in English and the contact of 3 referees.

Additional Information

HT is a new interdisciplinary research institute, created and supported by the Italian government, whose aim is to develop innovative strategies to promote human health through a multidisciplinary and integrated approach, combining genomics, computational and structural biology and neuroscience, as well as data and decisions sciences.

HT offers a highly collaborative, international culture to foster top quality, interdisciplinary research by promoting a vibrant environment consisting of independent research groups with access to outstanding graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and core facilities.

HT is an inclusive employer that fosters diversity and engages systematically to ensure that equal employment opportunities are provided without regard to age, race, creed, religion, sex, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin or any other legally recognized status entitled to protection under applicable laws.

HT is offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to a leading, internationally competitive, research organisation that promotes a collegial and open atmosphere. The compensation package granted will be internationally competitive and comprise pension scheme, medical and other social benefits and support for relocation and installation.

Candidates coming to Italy for the first time, or returning after residing abroad, benefit from very attractive income tax benefits.

For any inquiries about the call, please feel free to respond directly to the application confirmation e-mail, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Number of positions offered: 1
Contract offered: CCNL Chimico Farmaceutico - fixed-term contract - Employee level

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