Applications are invited for Lab Manager and Post-doctoral position in the group of Dr Evangelos Tatsis at the Shanghai Institute for Plant Physiology and Ecology (SIPPE) to work in the general area of plant natural products biosynthesis. The newly established group of Dr Evangelos Tatsis is located in the Centre of Excellence for Plant & Microbial Science (CEPAMS) a collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the John Innes Centre (JIC).

Group Description
Plants are an inexhaustible pool of structurally diverse chemicals, which are traditionally known as natural products. Many of these compounds have been used as therapeutic agents since antiquity and have played a crucial role in improving the quality of life. The fundamental goal of our group is to determine how plants make these chemicals. Our major focus is to elucidate, understand and engineer the metabolic pathways which are responsible for the biosynthesis of natural products from Chinese medicinal plants. To address these important goals, we will establish a genome enabled approach, utilizing bioinformatics, molecular biology and enzymology techniques, and a plant based synthetic biology platform.

1. Lab Manager
1.1 Job/Position Description
We are seeking a lab manager with a primary duty to organise and manage a highly dynamic and interdisciplinary international laboratory. The lab manager will be responsible for all aspects of laboratory management, including equipment maintenance and supervision of laboratory reagent stocks, contact and acquisitions from external suppliers and contractors. Strong attention to detail, good communication and interpersonal skills are essential to this role as well as excellent English and Chinese speaking, reading and writing skills. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to writing grant applications, reports and publications and have the ability to accurately translate documents from English into Chinese and vice versa.
The postholder will work closely with the project leader Dr Evangelos Tatsis, as well as the post-docs and students within the group. The successful applicant is expected to interact with other scientific staff of SIPPE as well as with the administration and supporting services of SIPPE.
Training and mentoring students, as well as assisting and advising other lab members are also essential to this role. After lab establishment, the candidate will also have the option to work independently on his/her own projects. The specific research components will depend on the particular set of skills, experience and qualifications of the candidate.
The position is available from September 2017.

1.2 Qualifications
We are looking for an exceptional candidate who has a PhD in Plant Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or related discipline. Post-doctoral experience is essential. The successful applicant will have excellent molecular biology skills. Expertise in plant transformation, protein expression, enzymology and/or natural products biosynthesis are desirable but not essential. Flexibility, self-motivation, enthusiasm, dedication, teamwork, problem solving ability, excellent organization and record keeping, and scientific understanding of experimental procedures are essential requirements for this position. The successful applicant will need to have excellent knowledge of both Chinese and English languages, especially in the field of life sciences.

2. Post-Doctoral
2.1 Job/Position Description
We are seeking an outstanding and highly motivated post-doc to join a highly dynamic and interdisciplinary international laboratory. The successful candidate will conduct independent research in the field of biosynthesis of natural products in a multidisciplinary approach utilising modern molecular biology and biochemistry techniques. It is expected that the successful candidate will contribute critically to development and establishment of experimental protocols and procedures. 
The successful candidate will be expected to work closely with the project leader Dr Evangelos Tatsis, as well as with other members of the group. Training and mentoring students is part of the role as well as assisting and advising other lab members. 
The position is available from Autumn 2017.

2.2 Qualifications
We are looking for an exceptional and highly motivated candidate who has a PhD in Plant Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or related discipline. The successful candidate will have excellent molecular biology skills. Expertise in plant transformation, protein expression, enzymology and/or natural products biosynthesis are desirable but not essential. 
The ideal candidate will be a self-motivated individual, capable of independent creative thinking with analytical and problem solving skills. Ability to communicate clearly, work independently, and interact collaboratively is essential as well as good communication and interpersonal skills. English speaking, reading and writing skills are required. Knowledge of Chinese language is desirable but not essential.

To Apply: Applications in English only. Please send your CV with publication list, cover letter, a short research statement (1 page max) and two reference letters to etatsis@sippe.ac.cn and hr@sippe.ac.cn.
For further information, please contact with Dr Evangelos Tatsis etatsis@sippe.ac.cn