The PVREX Research Group led by Dr. Carmen Fernรกndez is looking for a candidate to apply to the international competitive call of La Caixa Foundation to work on Extracellular vesicles in malaria.
Job position description
We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiasm and autonomous PhD candidate, with a degree in Life/Health Science interested in developing her/his predoctoral research in the context of the challenge and ambitious project described above. The candidate will be integrated in the Plasmodium vivax and exosome research group (PVREX), which offers an interdisciplinary, multicenter collaborative project and a stimulating environment to study the human malaria caused by P. vivax and of circulating EVs (exosomes) during natural infections.
During the first year the candidate will be trained with techniques already stablished in the lab, such as, parasite culture, CRISPR-Cas9 editing for the generation of transgenic lines expressing P. vivax genes, isolation and molecular characterization of EVs, as well as implementing new technologies for the in vitro and in vivo models. During the second year, omics data from the interaction of parasites and EVs with these human erythropoietic tissues (single cell RNAseq, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics) will be generated and analyzed. It is also foreseen that during the second year the candidate will perform a research stay abroad at the laboratory of our international collaborator in endemic region to work with P. vivax wild isolates. During the last year, the candidate will unveil signaling pathways and parasite cargo involved in these interactions to guide rational alternative control strategies against these cryptic niches.
She/he will be responsible of the design and performance of the research experiments and analysis of the results, participating weekly in the laboratory meetings and others scientific activities at ISGlobal and IGTP. The selected candidate will be also involved in drafting the manuscripts directly related to the project, as well as presenting the data in international meetings. Moreover, selected candidate will co-supervise a Master student.
More information can be found here:
https://finder-fellowships.lacaixafoundation.org/finder?position=5780
https://fundacionlacaixa.org/en/inphinit-doctoral-fellowships-incoming