"Assistant/Associate Project Scientist - Gene Editing - Innovative Genomics Institute"

The Innovative Genomics Institute at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for an Assistant or Associate Project Scientist in the Staskawicz Lab, in the area of gene editing in rice and potentially other crops for disease resistance and environment resilience.

Position Summary/Responsibilities
The IGI is presently seeking a highly motivated Assistant or Associate Project Scientist to perform research on understanding the molecular basis of plant-pathogen interactions and immunity, expanding CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology in crops. The successful candidate will be using various CRISPR technologies to engineer agronomically favorable traits such as disease-resistant and drought-tolerant crops for agricultural sustainability. This interdisciplinary work will be performed as part of a team at UC Berkeley and UC Davis, centered in the laboratory of Brian Staskawicz, IGI Scientific Director of Agricultural Sustainability. The Project Scientist will also collaborate with IGI investigators at UCB, UC Davis in the effort to advance the delivery of genome editing for gene editing in plants. In addition to their own efforts, this Asst./Assoc. Project Scientist will guide genome editing efforts of one or more undergraduate technicians. The position will report directly to Brian Staskawicz.

Specific research activities will employ computational skills to design guide RNAs and construct plasmids to target genes that include; disease resistance, drought tolerance, and plant architecture in rice and wheat.

Major tasks will include assembling plasmid constructs for prime editing in rice and wheat that target traits that control disease resistance, drought tolerance and plant architecture.

Duties for this position include:
- Designing and executing experiments to employ prime editing for various host targets
- Design and execute in vitro assays to validate guide RNAs.
- Obtain consistent and reliable data, maintaining electronic lab notebook (ELN) records.
- Manage multiple projects and tasks in parallel in order to meet program-based milestones.
- Train one or more postdoctoral researchers and/or one or more technicians.
- Collaborate with principal investigators, postdocs, and students at partner universities and provide input to their research teams.
- Design and develop useful and practical intellectual property.
- Contribute to high-quality, high-impact publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- Attend scientific and technical conferences to discuss accomplishments at the IGI and establish relationships with other leaders in the field.

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
PhD or equivalent international degree

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
At least 2 years of post-PhD research experience

Preferred qualifications
Ph.D in plant biology, genetics, plant immunity or related discipline.
Experience with employing computational skills to design guide RNAs to target genes that include; disease resistance, drought tolerance, and plant architecture in rice and wheat.
Experience assembling plasmid constructs for prime editing in rice and wheat that target traits that control disease resistance, drought tolerance and plant architecture.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and tasks in parallel in order to meet program-based research objectives.
Genotype edited plants by Sanger and NGS nucleotide sequencing.
Demonstrated ability to carry out independent experiments to obtain consistent and reliable data, maintaining electronic lab notebook records
Experience mentoring undergraduate researchers and/or technicians.
High-quality, high-impact publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Application Requirements
Document requirements
- Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
- Cover Letter

Reference requirements
- 3 required (contact information only)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05153