Increasing evidence suggests that an individual’s chances of developing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) / Motor Neurone Disease (MND) cannot be explained by genetics alone and that disease is underpinned by complex interplay between genes and environment. To explore this we are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic postdoctoral research associate to deliver the project “A systematic dissection of the interaction between sporadic ALS risk genes and environmental factors”. The successful candidate will use Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) to model gene-gene and gene-environment interactions identified from human whole genome sequencing data. They will be based in the lab of Dr Ryan West at the Sheffield institute for translational neuroscience (SITraN), an award winning centre of excellence for the study of neurodegenerative diseases and drug-discovery. They will work closely with project leads Dr Ryan West and Dr Johnathan Cooper-Knock, as well as a bioinformatician and other members of the teams. We are particularly keen to support researchers with career development in line with the research development concordat and will actively support those keen on applying for career development fellowships. Candidates are strongly encouraged to contact Ryan (r.j.west@sheffield.ac.uk) to discuss the project prior to application.

The position is for 2 years with opportunity to be extended by the funder 

We are looking for someone to start in, or around September, and PhD students nearing completion are encouraged to apply.

Closing date: 30th June 2024

Apply here

This project is part of the “ALS Breakthrough Research Fund” - https://milkeninstitute.org/article/tambourine-5-million-funding-als-research