1 Research Technician position on morphological novelties and insect evolution

 

The Almudi lab located at the Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Department, at the University of Barcelona is offering one research assistant position to work in the mayFLYeye ERC-CoG-funded project.

 

Projects

The laboratory is interested in understanding the origin of new organs during the radiation of winged insects. With this aim, the Almudi lab is using single cell –omics approaches to address how morphological novelties appeared, evolved and promoted the outstanding radiation of the insect lineage and the conquest of the sky. During the last years, the laboratory has established the mayfly species, Cloeon dipterum, as an emergent model organism to investigate insect evolution and evolutionary novelties (see Pallarès-Albanell, Ortega et al., (2024) Dev 151 (20): dev203017; Almudi et al., (2020) Nat Comms 11, 2631; Almudi et al., (2019) Evodevo 10, 6). The specific aims of the mayFLYeye project are studying the origin and evolution of the regulatory networks responsible for the appearance of wings in insects and the male-specific visual system of mayflies. The responsibilities of this position will include supporting ongoing research by performing molecular biology techniques, immunohistochemistry, transgenesis, confocal imaging, animal rearing and animal culture maintenance.

 

Eligibility

The research technician should have a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g. Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, etc.) and a minimum of 1 year of related experience is required. Candidates must be organized, able to work well independently and in teams and have excellent communication skills. Previous experience with animal manipulation (rearing animal lines, injection protocols, etc.) and/or molecular biology and -omics techniques are highly recommended.

 

Job description

We are offering 1 year initially with possibility of 1-3 years of extension. Remuneration is based on professional experience (23000€ - 29000€ gross/year). The expected starting date is April, 1st.

 

Working environment and life in Barcelona

The research technician will join the Almudi lab, recently established at the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics and the Institute de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) at the University of Barcelona. This department offers a priviledged environment to researchers, including the so-called “Barcelona Evo-Devo School”,  with an excellent international community in one of the best universities in Spain. The team is committed to maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and friendly working environment, as well as promoting your career development. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan and vibrant city and a major cultural, economic, and financial centre in southwestern Europe, as well as the main biotech hub in Catalonia and Spain.

 

Application procedure

Interested candidates should submit a single pdf file with a motivation letter, a short description of current and past research projects and their CV to ialmudi@ub.edu. Recommendation letters are not crucial at this stage.

 

Deadline

February 25th, 2025. Applicants who are short-listed for the positions will be contacted personally. For more information, please check https://www.mayflyecoevodevo.com/home or contact ialmudi@ub.edu.