Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Zuercher Lab) - Generative Biology Institute in Oxford

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we are on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO2
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you will join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs.

Welcome to the Generative Biology Institute. Led by Founding Director Jason Chin, the Generative Biology Institute (GBI) at the Ellison Institute of Technology is tackling the key challenges in making biology engineerable, unlocking the unrivalled power of biology for the benefit of humanity. The vision of the GBI is to lay the foundations for engineering biology and unlock its potential for good.

To achieve this, we must overcome two key challenges:

• The ability to write in the natural language of biology, enabling the rapid and scalable synthesis of entire genomes with precision.
• Understanding what to write - determining which DNA sequences will generate biological systems that perform the desired functions.

Addressing these challenges will allow us to harness the full power of biology to create transformative solutions across health, agriculture, clean energy and more.

The Zuercher Lab is seeking ambitious, creative, and highly skilled Postdoctoral Researchers to join the lab. The Zuercher Lab, led by Principal Investigator Jerome Zuercher, focuses on two interconnected areas: Genome synthesis and Genetic Isolation.

Genetic Isolation

A direct consequence of the universality of the genetic code is the possibility for genetic information to be transferred between evolutionarily distant species. Such horizontal transfer of genetic information is common in nature and has shaped evolution over billions of years. In the context of genetic engineering, however, this type of genetic spillover is highly concerning. Prevention of interference of artificial genetic information with natural biology is critical to allow biotechnological progress to be both safe and ambitious.

Furthermore, biotechnology will play a central role in addressing pressing challenges in food security, pharmaceutical development, sustainable fuel sources, and efficient carbon fixation. Thus, essential parts of the economy will increasingly rely on bioproduction facilities harbouring tailor‐made microbes. It is therefore critical that such facilities are extremely reliable. However, due to the universality of the genetic code, engineered organisms are just as susceptible to viral invasion as natural organisms. A single viral particle that finds its way into a bioproduction facility can force its operational shutdown.

Altering the genetic code of a cell provides an opportunity to render natural and synthetic genetic information incompatible. This breakthrough offers a means to protect the environment from genetically engineered organisms and, vice versa, engineered organisms critical for bioproduction from viral invasion. Through concerted efforts in genome recoding and translational engineering, it was possible to create the first organism with a synthetic genetic code. Since this organism "speaks a different language" than organisms found in nature, it is genetically isolated; it can neither give nor receive genetic information from the environment. The lab continues the development of altered genetic codes to increase the safety of biotechnology and aims to rewrite even the most complex biological systems in alternative synthetic genetic codes.

Genome synthesis

Our ability to write DNA has recently expanded to the genomic scale. The possibility of defining every single base in the genome of a cell enables manipulation of the most fundamental cellular properties, such as the genetic code. However, current genome synthesis methods are slow, narrow in scope, and limited in scale. To date, the genomes of only two bacteria have been successfully synthesized. This project aims to develop methodologies to make the synthesis of model organism genomes (i.e. E. coli) more rapid and enable the synthesis of the genomes of non‐model bacteria to broaden the scope of genome synthesis.

The ability to routinely synthesize the genomes of a diverse set of organisms will not only allow reprogramming of the genetic code but also facilitate testing of generative genome designs. Ultimately, the combination of microbial genome synthesis and artificial intelligence will enable biological design at the organism scale with implications in bioproduction, human health, agriculture, and beyond.

How To Apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. In your cover letter, please clearly explain your fit, interest, and relevant experience for joining the group. All applications must be submitted exclusively through the EIT job portal. If you would like to discuss this role in more detail, prior to submitting an application, please contact Jerome Zuercher at jeromez@eit.org. Due to the volume of applications, the review and decision process may take 3‐6 months.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments, including the development of novel methodologies and adaptation of existing techniques to new applications.
• Analyse complex datasets using computational and statistical tools, interpreting results in the context of broader research goals.
• Contribute intellectually to the research direction by identifying opportunities for innovation and refining research questions.
• Prepare and publish high-quality scientific papers, reports, presentations, and protocols.
• Present research at national and international conferences, seminars, and internal meetings.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams within GBI, EIT, and external partners to advance complementary workstreams.
• Build and maintain research infrastructure, laboratory capabilities, and cutting‐edge technologies.
• Mentor and support junior researchers, including PhD students and research assistants.
• Translate research findings into commercial or translational opportunities in alignment with EIT's mission.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for intellectual property generation and protection.
• Ensure research activities comply with EIT's policies, legal requirements, and best scientific practice.

This list is not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to undertake additional tasks and duties commensurate with the role.

Requirements

Essential and Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Completed a PhD in a relevant field (e.g. synthetic biology, computational biology and AI, microbial, plant and human cell biology, genomics, robotics and automation, and nucleic acids chemistry).
• Track record of delivering ambitious research projects to a high standard.
• Strong track record in research, ideally in molecular biology, synthetic biology, or related fields.
• Skilled in data analysis and interpretation; experience with genomic analysis, automation, or computational tools desirable.
• Proven ability to work independently, think creatively, and solve complex experimental problems.
• Experience publishing in high-impact journals and presenting at international conferences.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience collaborating in multidisciplinary teams.
• Capacity to build and sustain productive collaborations internally and externally.
• Resilience, adaptability, and enthusiasm for working in a fast‐paced, high‐growth research environment.

Benefits

• Salary: Competitive + travel allowance + bonus.
• Enhanced holiday pay.
• Pension.
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Hospital Cash Plan.
• Therapy Services.
• Perk Box.
• Electric Car Scheme.

Working Together - What It Involves

You must be eligible to work in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. We are open to sponsoring employment visas for this role; however sponsorship is not available for all visa types or in all circumstances. Eligibility will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. You must be based in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate). During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme. Our Postdoc roles are set up as 4 year fixed term contract.