Recruit

Supervisor: Dr. Richard Michelmore
In collaboration with the Principal Investigator and senior laboratory members, this position will involve the production of transgenic plants through tissue culture transformation and/or other techniques, genetic verification and characterization of transgenic plants, and participation in research projects studying gene expression and in vitro regeneration.

Research (90%)

The Junior Specialist will be responsible for carrying out Agrobacterium-mediated lettuce transformation and in vitro tissue culture regeneration. This will involve preparing the required tissue culture media, maintaining sterile in vitro cultures, ensuring that tissue culture supplies are on hand when needed as to avoid delays and/or the loss of valuable research material, and safe disposal of waste materials. The position will involve communication with the Principal Investigator and other members of the research group to plan and prioritize the transformation schedule. The Junior Specialist will also coordinate with the greenhouse manager to ensure there is adequate space for the produced transgenic plants once they are established in soil after regeneration. The candidate will maintain appropriate documentation of all transgenic plants produced. These activities are estimated to require about 50% of the candidate’s effort in the area of research.
The other 50% of effort will be devoted to other research projects. This will include but not be limited to sampling transgenic material for the extraction of nucleic acids, conducting genotyping to confirm the presence of the T-DNA and/or assessing transgene expression. For transformations involving genome editing projects, the candidate will also analyze the target sites and identify mutation(s) using bioinformatics. The Junior Specialist will also consult with his/her direct supervisor and the Principal Investigator to conduct research on the identification of gene regulatory sequences in lettuce through the use of visual reporters. Additional research activities may involve experiments in transformation methodology or in transformation of species other than lettuce.
The candidate will prepare manuscripts for publication, in collaboration with her/his direct supervisor. Manuscript preparation by the candidate will include reviewing the relevant literature and summarizing these reviews in the introduction, describing results and methods used to acquire the results, presenting and analyzing data obtained by the candidate, constructing clear and informative figures, interpreting the results and discussing how they fit in the current understanding of the field. Depending on whether the candidate is first or middle author of the manuscript in preparation, she/he will contribute these items for most of the manuscript or only the part contributed.

Professional Competence (5%)

Depending on interest and availability of funds, the Junior Specialist may have opportunities to present research findings to a larger audience at scientific conferences or meetings. The candidate will also assist the investigator in presenting progress reports and final summaries to granting agencies.

University and Public Service (5%)

The Junior Specialist may participate in training activities, such as mentoring undergraduate students. They will also actively participate in lab activities via weekly lab meetings, and unit/campus presentations.

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