The Eric Lai lab at Sloan Kettering Institute (https://www.mskcc.org/research/ski/labs/eric-lai) seeks a computational biologist to work closely with experimentalists to decipher post-transcriptional mechanisms and their in vivo biological impacts. We use both Drosophila and mammalian models, and there are active exchanges of ideas between dry and wet lab members to interpret genomic data and use these to design new tests that can inform the breadth and consequences of new regulatory pathways. Both postdoctoral fellows and post-bac research assistants (e.g. looking for experience before graduate school) will be considered.
Our recent works integrate multiple types of genomic data (e.g. small RNA, RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, CLIP-seq, RNA modifications, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, de novo transcriptomes and nanopore genome assembly, etc). The ideal candidate will be familiar with these types of analyses and their intersection with rich comparative genomic and population data available for Drosophila, mouse and human. We utilize existing genomics analysis tools and statistical frameworks, but many regulatory paradigms we uncover require custom scripts and pipelines to reveal novel mRNA isoforms, non-coding genes, and regulatory networks. The candidate will participate in several projects in RNA biology, such as novel mechanisms of miRNA biogenesis, control of tissue-specific 3' UTRs, or in vivo regulation by m6A/RNA methylation.
We have an interactive, multidisciplinary, and collaborative team engaged in diverse topics in regulatory biology, and the Sloan Kettering Institute provides a vibrant research community committed to inclusivity and diversity. Position is currently available and funded by a new 4-yr NIH-R01 grant, and includes benefits and nearby subsidized housing for postdoctoral fellows. Please provide CV, motivation letter and references to Eric Lai, laie@mskcc.org.
Recent papers emphasizing genomic approaches in regulatory and RNA biology:
Zheng L.^, J. Liu^, L. Niu, M. Kamran, A.W.H. Yang, A. Jolma, Q. Dai, T. R. Hughes, D. J. Patel, L. Zhang, S. Prasanth, Y. Yu, A. Ren, and E. C. Lai* (2022). Distinct structural bases for sequence-specific DNA binding by mammalian BEN domain proteins. Genes and Development, in press.
Vedanayagam J., C.-J. Lin and E. C. Lai (2021). Rapid evolutionary dynamics of an expanding family of meiotic drive factors and their hpRNA suppressors. Nature Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01592-z.
Kan, L., S. Ott, B. Joseph, E.S. Park., C. Dai, R. E. Kleiner, A. Claridge-Chang, and E. C. Lai (2021). A neural m6A/YTHDF pathway is required for learning and memory in Drosophila. Nature Communications 12(1):1458. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21537-1.
Joseph, B. and E. C. Lai (2021). The Exon Junction Complex and intron removal prevents resplicing of mRNA. PLoS Genetics 17(5):e1009563. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009563.
Lee, S., B. Zhang, L. Wei, R. Goering, S. Majumdar, J. M. Taliaferro, and E. C. Lai (2021). ELAV/Hu RNA binding proteins determine multiple neural alternative splicing programs. PLoS Genetics, 17(4):e1009439.
Garaulet, D.L., A. Moro and E. C. Lai (2021). A double negative gene regulatory circuit mediates the virgin behavioral state. Cell Reports 36: 109335. PMID: 34233178.
Wei, L., S. Lee, S. Majumdar, B. Zhang, P. Sanfilippo, B. Joseph, P. Miura, M. Soller and E. C. Lai (2020). Overlapping Activities of ELAV/Hu Family RNA Binding Proteins Specify the Extended Neuronal 3' UTR Landscape in Drosophila. Molecular Cell 80: 140-155.
Shang, R., S. Baek, K. Kim, B. Kim, V. N. Kim, and E. C. Lai (2020). Genomic clustering aids nuclear processing of suboptimal pri-miRNA loci. Molecular Cell 78: 303-316.
Vedanayagam J., W. K. Chatila, B. A. Aksoy, S. Majumdar, A. J. Skanderup, E. Demir, N. Schultz, C. Sander and E. C. Lai (2019). Cancer-associated mutations in DICER1 RNase IIIa and IIIb domains exert similar effects on miRNA biogenesis. Nature Communications 10: 3682. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-11610-1.
