Research Trainee in Evolutionary Chromatin Biology

The Institute

The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) is an international biomedical research institute of excellence, based in Barcelona, Spain, with more than 400 scientists from 44 countries. The CRG is composed by an interdisciplinary, motivated and creative scientific team which is supported both by a flexible and efficient administration and by high-end and innovative technologies. 

In April 2021, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) received the renewal of the 'HR Excellence in Research ' Award from the European Commission. This is a recognition of the Institute's commitment to developing an HR Strategy for Researchers, designed to bring the practices and procedures in line with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and theCode of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (Charter and Code). 

Please, check out our Recruitment Policy

The role  

We are looking to hire a pre-doctoral student, those finishing or have finished their master's studies and are eventually interested in pursuing a PhD, to explore the evolution of eukaryotic chromatin states and components. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates broadly interested in evolutionary biology, gene regulation and/or chromatin biology, and with a background in genetics, functional genomics and/or computational biology. 

Chromatin modifications are conserved across eukaryotes, but their combinatorial function across genomes are dependent on a diverse crosstalk among chromatin readers and writers. A successful candidate will initially work closely with a postdoc in the lab to identify and characterize chromatin proteins using either phylogenetic, proteomic, genomic, or biochemical methods, depending on the candidate’s strengths. As a PhD student, further investigations with orthogonal methods are expected. This work is an extension of recent work on eukaryotic chromatin evolution in the lab (Grau-Bove et al. 2022, Navarrete, Montgomery et al. 2025). 

References

Navarrete, C., Montgomery, S. A., Mendieta, J., Lara-Astiaso, D. & Sebe-Pedros, A. Diversity and evolution of chromatin regulatory states across eukaryotes. bioRxiv 2025.03.17.643675 at https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.17.643675 (2025).

Grau-Bové, X. et al. A phylogenetic and proteomic reconstruction of eukaryotic chromatin evolution. Nature Ecology & Evolution 6, 1007–1023 (2022).   

About the lab 

TheSebé-Pedróslabstudiestheevolutionofcelltypeprograms and genomeregulation, combiningsingle-cellgenomics, chromatinprofiling, and comparative genomicsmethods in a phylogenetically diverse array ofeukaryotes. For more detailsaboutthelab, visitthelabwebsite: https://www.sebepedroslab.org/ 

Whom would we like to hire?  

Professional experience

Must Have

• Experience in molecular biology (protein/DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, Western blot, etc.) 

• Basic experience in bioinformatics (UNIX environments, R/Python, etc.)

Desirable but not required/ Nice to have

• Experience in chromatin biology (ChIP-seq, ATAC, etc.) 

• Experience in molecular phylogenetics and comparative genomics

• Experience in proteomics. 

Education and training

• A master's degree in Biology/Biochemistry (or related disciplines) 

Languages

Competencies 

• Enthusiasm and motivation for science

• Dedication, and rigor in scientific pursuits

• Capacity to work as part of a highly integrated team 

The Offer – Working Conditions 

• Contract duration: 6 months (with possible extension and continuation into a PhD). 

• Estimated annual gross salary: Salary is commensurate with qualifications and consistent with our pay scales 

• Target start date: October 2025 

We provide a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructures, and unique professional career development opportunities. To check out our training and development portfolio, please visit our website in the training section .

We offer and promote a diverse and inclusive environmentand welcomes applicants regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion,sexual orientation or gender identity.

The CRG is committed to reconcile a work and family life of its employees and are offering extended vacation period and the possibility to benefit from flexible working hours.

Application Procedure

All applications must include:

All applications must be addressed to Dr. Arnau Sebe-Pedros and be submitted online through the "Apply" button below.

• Pre-selection: The pre-selection process will be based on qualifications and expertise reflected on the candidates CVS. It will be merit-based. 

• Interview: Preselected candidates will be interviewed by the Hiring Manager of the position and a selection panel if required. 

• Offer Letter: Once the successful candidate is identified the People department will send a Job Offer, specifying the start day, salary, working conditions, among other important details.  

Deadline: Please submit your application by September 10th, 2025.