RIKEN invites applications for the position of Team Leader (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: Synthetic biology of structural evolution

RIKEN invites applications for a laboratory head to lead research in synthetic biology, focusing on the structural evolution of biomolecules, with the goal of elucidating the origin of biomolecules that support cellular functions. The research involves studies that aim to gain a deeper understanding of the origin of life by the experimental reconstitution of early evolutionary processes, such as the emergence and diversification of nucleic acids and proteins, which are thought to have occurred in the fundamental processes leading from non-life to the complex life forms of today. The research also includes studies for protein structure prediction and design, which leverages the reconstruction of protein evolution far beyond the typical range of known protein structures in existing databases. The applicant is expected to promote and take advantage of the interdisciplinary approaches within RIKEN.