Professor Munenori Kitagawa's research group is looking for postdoctoral fellows to study the mechanism of cell-to-cell interaction in plants.

Professor Munenori Kitagawa's research group is a part of the Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, which was approved by the Ministry of Education in May 2003 and is supported by Huazhong Agricultural University. The laboratory has developed research advantages with a high international reputation; the discovery and genetic improvement of functional genes for important horticultural plant traits using molecular biology techniques, and cultivation physiology with high yield/ quality/ efficiency using growth and development regulation technology. It has been recognized numerous times as an excellent laboratory in the life science field and is now a Ministerial Level Key Laboratory with standardized management, consistent research direction, outstanding achievements and talent development, and significant international influence.

Introduction of the principal investigator

Prof. Munenori Kitagawa received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Kanazawa University, Japan, in 2007. He studied under Prof. Tomomichi Fujita at Hokkaido University, Japan (2007-2013), and received his Ph.D. in Life Science. After his post-doctoral fellows in Japan (2013-2014, Hokkaido University, PI: Prof. Tomomichi Fujita; 2014-2015, RIKEN, PI: Prof. Hitoshi Sakakibara), he moved to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA, and worked as a post-doc under Prof. David Jackson (2016-2022). He studied the mechanism of cell-to-cell transport of transcription factors that regulates stem cells using a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. In plants, specific transcription factors selectively move between cells and control cell fates in development, but their mechanism is largely unknown. He found that an RNA processing protein promotes cell-to-cell transport of specific mRNAs to maintain stem cells in the shoot meristem. The results of this research have been published in Science, and related results have been published in The Plant Journal, Plant and Cell Physiology, Annual Review of Plant Biology, and others. His lab currently focuses on “plant grafting compatibility machinery” and “mechanism and function of mRNA-based signaling between cells.”

See website:https://chfs-en.hzau.edu.cn/connect-with-faculty/munenori-kitagawa/

Required qualifications

Candidates should be under 35 and have a doctoral degree in biology or a closely related discipline. Preference will be given to applicants with experience in plant development, grafting, or RNA biology and with a representative research achievement in the field.

Highly motivated and energetic in research activities (experiments, information gathering, logical interpretation and discussion of experimental results, and writing papers).

The ability to communicate positively with other researchers and to work independently on research projects.

English speaking/listening ability to communicate with others, English reading skill to collect scientific information, and English writing ability to write a full paper. Preference will be given to candidates who can communicate with others in Chinese or Japanese.

Work content

The candidates should be able to work independently under the supervision of the PI on the research subject “Elucidation of grafting compatibility mechanisms” or “Elucidation of mRNA cell-to-cell transport mechanism/function,” be responsible for or participate in declaring and administering related topics, assist the PI with the supervision of graduate or undergraduate students. The project will be carried out in collaboration with groups in China, Japan, and the US.

Relevant treatment (salary/benefits)

Postdoctoral benefits will be implemented in accordance with the University's relevant regulations. Provide a competitive salary, annual appraisal, and scientific research achievement awards separately after passing the evaluation.

Those who meet the requirements can apply for a postdoctoral award and funding from the school; during the station, the Postdoc can participate in the evaluation of associate researcher and researcher titles.

Provide rental subsidies.

Enrolling children in a nursery school.

Give priority to professional and technical positions recruitment after departure. If the applicant meets the requirements for talent introduction, he/she can be preferentially appointed to the corresponding teaching position according to the procedure.

Apply

Please send your resume and other information directly tomkitagaw@mail.hzau.edu.cn.