Job Description

Group Director (Principal Investigator): 1 position

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 Group Director (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: Development of heavy-ion mutation induction technology and research on chromosome rearrangement by genome analysis
The Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science operates one of the world's most powerful heavy-ion accelerator facilities—RI Beam Factory. In addition to advancing a wide variety of nuclear physics research, the center is actively engaged in research and technological development aimed at industrial applications, including mutation breeding, production of valuable radioactive isotopes, and heavy-ion irradiation testing of space-use semiconductors. The Ion Beam Breeding Group is proposing a novel technique called "The Tailor-made Mutation Induction Method". This approach involves irradiating experimental materials with heavy-ion beams whose linear energy transfer (LET) is customized based on the desired size and type of genomic mutation as specified by a user. In cooperation with a breeding user group comprising 200 domestic and international institutions, the group has contributed to the commercialization of 43 plant and microorganism varieties. Building on genomic mutation data obtained through whole-genome analysis, the group also has been promoting interdisciplinary research, which includes the characterization of genome-wide mutations induced by heavy-ion irradiation, identification of novel genes using mutants, creating DNA markers for cultivar identification, and investigations into the effects of chromosomal rearrangements, including large deletions, on genetic traits and evolutionary processes.
We are now seeking a Group Director to lead the advancement of innovative heavy-ion mutagenesis techniques that overcome the diversity of complex biological species. The successful candidate is also expected to drive forward interdisciplinary research, such as research on mutagenesis using heavy-ion beams with LET of 180 keV/μm or higher, that induces large genome mutations, and the construction of new models for mutagenesis. In addition, in cooperation with the breeding user group, the Group director will conduct approximately ten plant breeding irradiation experiments annually and lead the development of new varieties expected to contribute to solve the global food, energy and environmental issues exacerbated by environmental change.

Job Tags

Similar Jobs