Job Description

The School of Biological Sciences (SBS) is a school of the College of Science. It was established in 2002 with the mission to make a strong contribution to biological and biomedical sciences. Research areas at SBS include infectious diseases, immunology, neurodegenerative diseases and telomere biology and genome function. Since then, many talented individuals from around the world and Singapore have joined SBS as scientific leaders, and researchers.

The School of Biological Sciences is looking for an enthusiastic Research Fellow to participate in the Singapore Food Agency Award entitled \'Improving yield, cultivating efficiency and nutrient quality of hydroponically-grown crops with rapid testing of growth conditions and gene expression analysis\'. The candidate would work in the lab of Associate Professor Marek Mutwil ( ).

This project aims to study how crops acclimatize to abiotic stress by using gene expression analysis with RNAseq. This proposal aims to translate our knowledge of plant physiology and bioinformatics to achieve (i) increased yield, (ii) increased nutritional values (vitamins, antioxidants), (iii) improved crop protection against diseases, and (iv) decreased waste of nutrients, and environmental pollution generated by indoor hydroponics systems. We will use computational biology for an in-depth analysis of gene expression in the three plants after exposure to different growth conditions. We have tested which temperature, light quality/intensity, and micronutrient compositions influence the yield of hydroponically-grown plants. Your job will be to analyze which genes and pathways are expressed in the different conditions with RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics. This will reveal the activity of metabolic pathways, thus allowing us to rapidly infer levels of vitamins and beneficial metabolites, such as antioxidants, in the different growth conditions.

This proposal aligns well with Singaporean vision of \xe2\x80\x9830% of our food by 2030\xe2\x80\x99 ( ), and the Research Fellow would be exposed to big data analysis, and bioinformatics, which are desirable skills.

:

Become proficient in the technical skills and knowledge required to complete the project

Achieve key performance indicators of the research project

Design and implement the bioinformatics analyses

Supervise and train research staff and undergraduate students

For candidates with non-biological background: while a degree in biology is not a requirement, the candidate should have a strong interest in learning biology

For candidates with biological background: if no previous experience in computational biology, a strong interest in learning bioinformatics

Job Requirements:

PhD in biology, computational biology, computer science, or related field

Applicants should be highly collegial and able to work e\xef\xac\x80ectively in research teams

Excellent written and oral communication skills are required, along with ample experience with scienti\xef\xac\x81c writing

Good interpersonal and communication skills in oral and written form, together with organizational proficiency

The College of Science seeks a diverse and inclusive workforce and is committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from all and recruit on the basis of merit, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Hiring Institution: NTU

Nanyang Technological University