Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Stem Cell Disease Modelling : Singapore, Singapore 

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Position

Description

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine invites applications for “Research Fellow” in the Laboratory of Prof. Dean Nizetic Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) established in September 2010 is a partnership between Imperial College London and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. LKCMedicine delivers a new five-year undergraduate medical programme leading to a joint MBBS degree awarded by Imperial College London and Nanyang Technological University. We are currently recruiting for research fellow position in Prof. Dean Nizetic’ laboratory. The research group study the mechanisms of accelerated cellular ageing, increased DNA damage, altered stem cell fate/availability, and mitochondrial dysfunction using Down syndrome (DS) as a study system. The challenge is to understand how these and other mechanisms contribute to, and can be therapeutically exploited, for a number of common diseases of the general population: neurodevelopmental defects, Alzheimer’s dementia, susceptibility to childhood leukaemia (but protection from other common childhood and adult cancers), diabetes, auto-immune diseases, epilepsy, autism, cardiovascular anomalies, all of which have extreme incidence/severity in DS. We will use a combination of primary cells (including single cell sequencing and analysis) and generate induced-pluripotent-Stem-cells (iPSCs) from clinically stratified people with DS (in collaboration with Singapore clinicians), and in collaboration with “LonDownS Consortium” (Wellcome Trust Strategic Funding Award), where Prof. Nizetic’s London group runs the cellular modelling stream (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/londowns/research-themes/cellular), a transchromosomic mouse model system (mouse ES cells bearing a human chromosome 21), and a unique isogenic hiPSC model Nizetic lab recently generated by re-programming the skin fibroblasts from adult individuals with mosaic DS, and then cloning separately the genetically identical T21 and euploid (D21) iPSC lines. Successful candidates will have a demonstrable and verifiable track record of research excellence, during the PhD studentship/ previous postdoctoral research. Expertise in leukaemia/cancer cell signalling, and/or disease modelling using human iPSC would be an advantage. This is an exciting opportunity for a very ambitious, self-driven, and dedicated researcher to take the lead in one of several directions this research can evolve into, but also contribute to the success of the whole team-effort. 

Benefits

Performance Bonus, Medical Flexi-benefits