Full time: 35 hours per week

Fixed term: two years

Opportunity

Transcribed genes are thought to be distinct genomic regions protected from DNA damage and mutations by transcription-coupled repair processes. However, our recent work has shown that transcription in human cells can promote DNA damage, leading to at least one mutation signature in cancer (Renz et alNature 2022), and has also been discovered in aging brains.

This project will address how and why transcription-associated genome instability occurs in mammalian cells, its initiation and the processes that shape it. Using cell and mouse model systems, the goal is to determine the role of transcriptional damage in cancer and other human diseases. It may also shed light on how DNA damage drives immune-mediated innate inflammation in Aicardi-Goutier syndrome.

The post holder will be part of a multidisciplinary team in Professor Andrew Jackson’s laboratory, working in a multidisciplinary environment addressing fundamental cellular processes and disease mechanisms. The research group is internationally diverse, strongly competitive and consistently publishes in high-profile journals including 5 papers published in Science and Nature in the past 10 years. The laboratory is an integral part of the Institute of Genetics and Cancer and is a highly collaborative and supportive environment.

For more details about the research group: Institute of Genetics-cancer.ed.ac.uk/research/research-groups-az/a-jackson-group

This position is full-time (35 hours per week) and is limited to two years.

The salary for this position is £41,064 to £48,822 annually.