Seeking a Chief Scientist (Principal Investigator) in Geomicrobiology(M23W01)

RIKEN's research is based on comprehensiveness and interdisciplinarity, and with free thinking as its basic philosophy, RIKEN promotes research that goes beyond the boundaries of conventional research fields, while at the same time responding to the needs of society from a strategic perspective.

RIKEN invites applications for the position of Chief Scientist (Principal Investigator) to serve in a leadership position in the following research area. The successful candidate will be responsible for directing research projects from a medium-to-long-term perspective.

Field: Geomicrobiology
Microorganisms are a huge group of organisms that occupy approximately half of the total biomass of all life on earth, but until recently they have been out of the scope of modern microbiology research because more than 99.9% of them are likely difficult to cultivate. They are called "microbial dark matter" and represent a huge unexplored area in terms of the origin and evolution of life, the understanding of ecosystems on earth, as well as the search for useful genetic resources. This call is open to researchers who are investigating either one or more of the ecology and metabolism of microorganisms living in all environments on Earth, including the deep sea and crust, the origin of life, the evolutionary processes of early life, understanding the global ecosystem through research on adaptation to extreme environments and symbiosis, expansion to life on other planets and universe, the search for useful genetic resources including unknown primitive metabolic systems, and synthetic biology using such resources. The successful candidate will be a next-generation leader in the field of geomicrobiology.

The successful candidate will be appointed as a PI (professor-level) of the Cluster for Pioneering Research and will be free to pursue his/her own research based on a long-term vision working in collaboration with other laboratories, while aiming to create a new science that transcends the boundaries of research fields and organizations.

For an overview of the Cluster for Pioneering Research organization, please refer to
https://www.riken.jp/en/research/labs/cpr/index.html

For more information and to apply, visit
https://www.riken.jp/en/careers/researchers/20220701_1/index.html