Research Engineer 1 in Microbiology
Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around SEK 8 billion.
The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is organized into seven research programmes which all focus on different areas of cell and molecular biology: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Evolution, Molecular Systems Biology and Structural Biology. The scientific basis of what we do lies in biology, but our research overlaps with other areas such as medicine, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering sciences and physics. In total, we are over 200 staff and ~60 Ph.D. students. Please read more about the department’s work at https://icm.uu.se.
The research group of Johan Elf investigates what causes growth variations in genetically identical bacterial populations, which mechanisms control replication initiation and cell division, and how we can combat the emergence of resistant bacteria and quickly diagnose resistance in complex infections, among other things. Read more on https://elflab.icm.uu.se/. The use of E. coli and other bacteria as model organisms allow great freedom to modify and control gene expression and to determine genotypes with NGS. Large-scale cloning and sequencing are thus key techniques in the lab, and we are now looking for a staff scientist who can make sure that our high demands for research quality in these areas are met.
Duties
As the Research Engineer 1, you will work closely with the other researchers and PhD students in the group and support them in their projects. You will construct single strains as well as libraries of genetically modified bacteria and be responsible for NGS including sample preparation and data analysis. Protein purification and microscopy can also be part of your work duties if the projects so require. You will train and support the other researchers in the group in NGA and cloning, and you will have the overall responsibility for the lab’s strain database and be the primary contact point for the sequencing facility. If time allows, you are welcome to also peruse your own projects. You will be offered continuous training and you will be expected to stay up-to-date in your area of expertise. The lab is interdisciplinary, which means that you will collaborate closely with microbiologists, microfluidics engineers, biophysicists, computer scientists, optical engineers, biochemists, molecular biologists, and software engineers.
Requirements
For the position as Research Engineer 1, you must have a PhD degree in microbiology or the equivalent from a related field. You must have documented experience of bacterial strain construction where various types of genetic modifications are systematically introduced on the chromosome high-throughput, as well as good experience of NGS, especially sample preparation. Great emphasis will also be placed on your ability to structure your work, perform your tasks independently, prioritize, continuously and accurately document your work, and drive and complete tasks within given time frames. Flexibility and good cooperation skills are necessary as is the ability to express yourself freely in English both orally and in writing.
Additional qualifications
The ideal candidate has experience with cloning microbial strain libraries and has also worked with bacterial strain databases. Experience with NGS data analysis is considered a plus but is not a requirement.