Fixed Term, Full-Time Contract until 28 February 2023

36.5 hours per week (100% FTE)

The Department of Physics seeks to appoint a research fellow within the Biophysics and Soft Matter group to start in September 2019 until 28/02/2023.

Project title: Biophysics of light-induced motility in microalgae

The proposal focusses on the mechanisms by which motile microalgae (prominent e.g. within phytoplankton) sense, elaborate and respond to light.

We aim to understand how these ecologically and industrially important microorganisms combine motility (phototaxis) and intracellular processes (photosynthesis and photoprotection) to optimise light exposure.

The project, which will combine experiments and modelling, is fundamentally interdisciplinary. Based in the lab of Marco Polin (Physics, U. Warwick), it hinges on an exciting new collaboration with Dimitrios Petroutsos (CEA Grenoble), expert in photosynthesis; and Idan Tuval (IMEDEA, Mallorca), expert in biophysical modelling.

You will be an excellent communicator capable of working effectively both independently and as part of a research team. You will possess excellent planning and time management skills to ensure your research objectives are achieved effectively.

Pay level will be commensurate to prior experience.

If you have not yet been awarded your PhD but are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant on level 5 of the University grade structure (£29,515). Upon successful award of your PhD and evidence of this fact, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure (£30,395 pa). 

Please direct all informal inquiries to Marco Polin at: m.polin@warwick.ac.uk

Closing Date: 11:59pm on Sunday 12th May

The Department of Physics seeks to appoint a research fellow within the Biophysics and Soft Matter group to start in July 2019 on a fixed-term contract until 31 March 2022 


Project title: Physics and Microscopy of Intracellular Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions.

This project integrates an important life sciences research topic, transcription, and a classical physics phenomenon, liquid-liquid phase transitions (LLPTs). The latter were very recently discovered in the nuclei of mammalian cells and appear to have decisive roles in organising transcription. Due to the novelty of this finding and its complex interdisciplinary nature, a mechanistic understanding is currently lacking. The project is a joint effort between the School of Life Sciences (SLS) and Department of Physics (DP) at University of Warwick.

The project will primarily focus on microscopy experiments for characterising the dynamics of LLPTs in mammalian transcription. Based in the lab of Dr. Vasily Kantsler (DP), the project includes an exciting collaboration with Dr. Daniel Hebenstreit (SLS), leading molecular biologist with a focus on the interplay of gene regulation, transcription, and single-cell variation, and Prof. Robin Ball (DP), renowned expert in statistical physics with emphasis on self-organising systems.

Applicants should possess or be very close to obtaining a doctorate in physics, cell biology or a related field. You should have a strong background in optical microscopy and image analysis, applied to soft matter or biophysics experiments.

You will be an excellent communicator capable of working effectively both independently and as part of the research team. You will possess excellent planning and time management skills to ensure your research objectives are achieved effectively.

Pay level will be commensurate to prior experience. If you have not yet been awarded your PhD but are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant on level 5 of the University grade structure (£29,515). Upon successful award of your PhD and evidence of this fact, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of the level 6 of the University grade structure (£30,395).
Please direct all informal inquiries to Dr. Vasily Kantsler (v.kantsler@warwick.ac.uk)


Closing date: 11:59pm on 1 May 2019