"Research Associate-Fixed Term"

The Ducat lab at Michigan State University has a postdoc position available for conducting primary research related to a Human Frontiers Research Program-funded project on investigation and engineering of an association between a cyanobacteria and a paramecium host. This project involves an international collaborative research effort between MSU, University of Grenoble (France), and the Julich Research Center (Germany). The successful candidate will primarily conduct research at MSU related to the engineering of model cyanobacterium (Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942) and the study of the uptake and retention of this bacterium into the host, Paramecium bursaria. Core themes of the research relate to understanding the molecular mechanisms behind how ‘free-living’ cells can be captured and converted into an endosymbiotic partner species. Project goals include the following areas of research: 1) monitoring the process of engulfment of the cyanobacterial “endosymbiont” into the Paramecium “host” via advanced imaging techniques and systems biology; 2) engineering cross-kingdom exchange of metabolites between the two partner species and; 3) evaluating the impact of cross-species exchange onto the fitness of the engineered endosymbiont-host pair. Additional relevant research areas include fundamental and rational engineering approaches targeting cyanobacterial central carbon metabolism and cyanobacterial signaling processes related to carbon fixation and sugar metabolism. Ideal candidates are creative, independent, collaborative, and emphasize being a part of a positive working environment for the full team, which includes other researchers at multiple career stages. The project will be performed in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory. Offers are expected to be made for an initial one-year appointment, with a target start date of November 1st, 2025 or later. Extension of the research appointment is anticipated and will be negotiated pending performance review and available funding.