Project assistant in plant molecular biology at the Biology Department

Work duties

A project assistant is needed to help with molecular biology-related tasks in the field of plant biotechnology. The project assistant will help with a wide range of tasks, including cloning of plasmids, transformation of bacteria and plants, nucleic acid extractions and quantification, maintenance of plants in vitro and in the greenhouse, analysis of secondary metabolite production using chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Qualifications

• Master of Science in Biotechnology or related topic.
• Experience in Molecular Biology laboratory techniques including nucleic acid extraction, gel electrophoresis, real-time PCR, DNA cloning techniques, cell culture maintenance, chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry (LC-MS and/or GC-MS). Bioinformatics skills related to primer design, sequence analysis, sequence alignments.
• Fluent knowledge of spoken and written English.
• The person should be able to work in a team, and also be able to take responsibility for individual tasks.

Other merits

• Experience with plant metabolism and gene expression
• Ability to keep records and work in well-organised way
• Knowledge of working with Microsoft Office and Graphpad Prism

We will place great emphasis on personal suitability. Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen the work within the department, as well as contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment

Fixed-term employment for 6 months, full-time

Contact person Olivier Van Aken (olivier.van_aken@biol.lu.se)

Instructions on how to apply

Applications should include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the employment corresponds to your qualifications (maximum 1 page). The application should also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, contact details to referenses, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.).