Research Specialist

Come to CEITEC MU in Brno and join us!

We are passionate molecular biologists at CEITEC looking for 

Research Specialist

Research Position

About this position: 

Applications are invited for a 3–4-year research position in the research group of Prof. RNDr. Jiří Fajkus, CSc. to join the TowArds Next GENeration Crops (TANGENC) project, reg. number CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004581, in Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (Czech Republic - The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, co-funded by the European Union).

Prof. Fajkus is a leading authority on plant telomere biology (characterizing telomere chromatin structure and epigenetic control, telomere/telomerase components), DNA damage response in rDNA, and telomere stability. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Dr. Dvorackova, the senior researcher in prof. Fajkus research group.

The researcher will be mainly involved in research activities within work package No.5 – Editing (New breeding techniques for crop improvement). This WP aims to develop efficient transgene delivery techniques, including optimization of plant material recovery and regenerating transgenic/mutant plants for selected crops with a specific focus on barley.

For sensitive visualization of growth regulators' signaling, barley reporter lines will be constructed to characterize barley mutant lines with disrupted stress-related genes. Moreover, a pipeline to study barley biotic and abiotic stress response genes (i.e., osmotic, ITPK1 gene, ABC transporter gene, and WDC gene) will be developed. This WP will also support other WPs with genetic engineering and genome editing-based methods to help validate candidate gene function.

The successful applicant will investigate the effects of heat stress on DNA damage repair efficiency in plants. The goal is to determine the extent to which temperature fluctuations are tolerated and to understand the impact of long-term cultivation under suboptimal conditions, on plant cellular physiology, nuclear structure, and genome stability.

The ideal candidate profile: 

Must have: 

• Must be in active PhD studies no later than the date of starting the position
• Strong expertise in at least one of the following specializations: plant propagation, DNA/RNA isolation, PCR genotyping, microscopy
• Good oral and written communication skills in English
• Practical lab experience
• Independence, accountability, and reliability

Nice to have: 

• Good communication and organizational skills

We provide: 

• Open access to CEITEC MU core facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and experienced staff
• Part-time (0,5 FTE) fixed-term contract for one year, with the possibility of extension
• An attractive salary condition
• Flexible working hours and remote work 
• Support for further education and professional development 
• Benefits package: 6 weeks of paid holiday, medical insurance, financial contribution to meal and kindergarten/pension scheme, Multisport card, mental health care, sports lessons directly at the campus 
• Kindergarten Elánek in Campus
• Support in these areas:
  • Welcome Office service before and after arrival 
  • Grant Office support 
  • Postdoc Peer Committee  
  • CEITEC events – workshops, conferences, lectures, training, family gathering etc. 

How to apply? 

Application deadline: 31.07.2024 or until the position is filled

Start date: September 1st, 2024, or upon agreement

Applications, including a CV, motivation letter, list of publications, and contacts for at least two references should be sent directly via e-application HERE. 

 Any troubles with the e-application, please contact Lenka Divinová (lenka.divinova@ceitec.muni.cz)