Director of the VU Life Sciences Center
Call for Applications for the Position of Director of the VU Life Sciences Center
In accordance with the Statute of Vilnius University and the Regulations of the Life Sciences Center of Vilnius University, the Council of the Life Sciences Center of Vilnius University (hereinafter, the Council) hereby announces a public international competition (hereinafter, the Competition) for the post of Director of the Life Sciences Center (hereinafter, the Director).
The mission of the Life Sciences Center (hereinafter, the Center) is to create and develop an ecosystem of life sciences at Vilnius University and Lithuania by conducting internationally competitive science and studies, educating new generations of scientists and innovators.
The competition is open to a person of good repute, with a PhD degree, teaching and managerial experience, and who has not yet reached the statutory retirement age on the first day of the Director's term of office.
The term of office of the Director is 5 years (full-time position).
Salary: 6.408 (before taxes) EUR per month, plus additional bonuses and allowances in accordance with the remuneration system in force at Vilnius University.
Each candidate must submit the following documents to the Electoral Commission of the Center:
- An application to take part in the Competition;
- A curriculum vitae, which must indicate the applicant's teaching and managerial experience;
- A copy of the applicant's identity document;
- A copy of the document certifying the degree awarded to the applicant;
- A programme (up to 2 pages) of the applicant's activities following his/her election as the Director;
- The applicant's declaration of disclosure of conflict of interest (Annex 1);
- Any other documents which the applicant considers may be relevant for the purposes of the Competition.
The deadline for submitting the documents is 30 September, 2024.
Candidates must submit the documents to the Electoral Commission of the Center: Saulėtekio al. 7, Vilnius, LT-1057, Lithuania by the 30th of September, at 16:00 in person, by registered post or by courier service, or by e-mail: .
Only applications received by the deadline specified in the call will be considered. The person submitting the application documents by e-mail must submit the electronically signed documents.
The Council meeting for the presentation of the candidates to the Council and for the conduct of the election will take place on the 22nd November 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (EET). Candidates will be informed in person.
More information for the applicants is available here:
- Description of the Procedure for the Election of the Director of the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center
- Regulations of the Life Sciences Center of Vilnius University
- Statute of Vilnius University
Postdoctoral researcher to help achieve the goals of our ERC project "PROTEGE: Profile nucleases and Repurpose Off-Targets to Expand Gene Editing" (application deadline 2024-06-30)
The Jones!Lab (www.JonesLab.eu) seeks a postdoctoral researcher to help achieve the goals of our ERC project "PROTEGE: Profile nucleases and Repurpose Off-Targets to Expand Gene Editing". This researcher will help develop and implement a high-throughput strategy for rapidly producing and profiling programmable nucleases (e.g. CRISPR-Cas) to understand their evolution and enhance our engineering efforts.
PROTEGE project summary:
Programmable nucleases reside at the nexus of advanced gene editing and microbial defense. These nucleases degrade phage DNA but avoid genomic DNA to provide the microbe with adaptive immunity. The standard-bearer, CRISPR-Cas9, relies on a guide RNA (gRNA) – its program – to precisely cut a complementary genetic sequence – its target – for precision gene editing. These programmable nucleases deliver cure for genetic diseases like anemia, blindness, and cancer; quick disease model development; and diagnostics for viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Hunts across microbial genomes have exposed thousands of programmable nucleases. Each could be another valuable tool for genome engineers, but we know just too little about them to use them safely. Even Cas9 does not have guide-target parity: It cuts partially matched ‘off-target’ genome sites, which can lead to dangerous side effects. Though we work hard to avoid off-targets, partial matching may have a bright side. What if we leverage it, using it to make gene editing more predictable? Using high-throughput biochemistry, we will Profile nucleases and Repurpose Off-Targets to Expand Gene Editing.
The PROTÉGÉ research program will profile guide-target parity – specificity – across promising, newly discovered programmable nucleases. It will deliver a toolset for assessing this critical safety feature rapidly and broadly. Finally, we will test the hypothesis that purposefully misprogramming nucleases can direct specific repair outcomes. We intended to benefit Europe and the world community with safer and more diverse gene editing tools for achieving its Horizon Europe health, technology and environmental goals.
Environment
Led by Professor Stephen Jones – American scientist, ERC grantee and EMBO Young Investigator, the Jones!Lab provides its team members with the resources to succeed. Our team members have access to facilities across Europe, EMBO programs for career development, financial resources for performing and sharing research, and connections with world-wide inter-disciplinary collaborators. By joining us at the EMBL Partnership Institute for Genome Editing Technologies in Vilnius University, you will also benefit from the cutting-edge equipment and brilliant minds that span EMBL sites and VU's Life Sciences Center. Your only limits will be your creativity and ability!
The Jones!Lab believes science should be an inclusive sport, so we encourage people of all origins and identities to apply. No matter what, you can expect colleagues that share your passion for research and team-based contributions to the life sciences. You will also be well-positioned to benefit from widening fellowships and programs offered to international researchers in Lithuania.
Responsibilities
- Implement and optimize a high-throughput plate-based strategy for cell-free protein expression and purification
- Perform high-throughput biochemical experiments for characterizing programmable nuclease properties
- Program and leverage robotic liquid handlers to achieve experimental goals and NGS library preparation
- Implement Python-based software to analyze and interpret NGS datasets
- Train and mentor students
- Participate in lab group meetings and journal clubs
- Share our research advances at international conferences and in scientific publications
Qualifications
- PhD in a related field (such as biochemistry, computational biology, or biotechnology)
- Experience in protein expression and purification
- Proficiency in the Python programming language and related resources (scipy, numpy, etc)
- Experience preparing NGS samples and interpreting NGS results
- Ability to operate independently and in collaboration by relying on your scientific, personal and organizational skills
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English, as evidenced by prior written and spoken works
- Full professional English writing and speaking abilities
Appointment details
- Contract: Renewable yearly
- Salary: Qualification dependent; full time, 18-24 EUR/hr
- Start date: Flexible, preferably September 2024
- Moving and residency support provided based on need
- This is an in-person position. Work from home is available when appropriate for specific tasks.
Application procedure:
Please submit your cover letter, CV and references to . Applications will be reviewed by June 30th, 2024.
If you are interested in job opportunities at the Life Sciences Center, send your CV and cover letter by e-mail to .
Confidentiality is guaranteed.