Current Openings

 PhD Graduate Research Assistantship: Regulation and Mechanisms of Polycistronic Gene Expression

 The Lopez-Arredondo Laboratory at Texas Tech University is seeking a highly motivated PhD student to begin in Spring 2027. The student will join an interdisciplinary research program investigating the regulation and molecular mechanisms of polycistronic transcription and translation across Archaeplastida, including land plants and diverse algal lineages.

Polycistronic gene expression, traditionally considered uncommon in eukaryotes, is increasingly recognized as a potentially widespread and biologically meaningful feature of plant and algal genomes. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that control the production, stability, and translation of these transcripts remain largely unknown. The student will investigate how eukaryotic cells generate polycistronic transcripts and how multiple open reading frames within a single transcript are recognized and translated.

The research will address questions such as:

· What genomic and regulatory features promote polycistronic transcription?

· How do transcription termination, readthrough, RNA processing, and transcript stability contribute to polycistron formation?

· Which sequence and structural features determine whether downstream open reading frames are translated?

· What are the relative contributions of mechanisms such as leaky scanning, ribosome reinitiation, and internal translation initiation?

· How do intercistronic regions, translation-initiation contexts, RNA secondary structures, and transcript architecture regulate protein production?

· How are naturally occurring polycistrons regulated across tissues, developmental stages, and environmental conditions?

· Are the mechanisms governing polycistronic expression conserved across plant and algal lineages?

Potential research activities include:

· Identification and characterization of candidate polycistronic transcripts using long-read RNA sequencing, RNA-seq, and ribosome-profiling data.

· Analysis of transcriptional regulation, transcript processing, RNA stability, and translation efficiency.

· Design and construction of bicistronic and multicistronic reporter systems.

· Experimental testing of candidate cis-regulatory sequences and intercistronic regions.

· Targeted mutagenesis of promoters, termination regions, translation-initiation contexts, and RNA structural elements.

· In vitro translation assays and transient or stable expression studies in plant and algal systems.

· Integration of computational predictions with molecular and functional experiments.

· Comparative analysis of polycistronic expression mechanisms across Archaeplastida.

· Presentation of research findings at scientific conferences and preparation of manuscripts for publication.

Preferred qualifications:

· A bachelor’s or master’s degree in molecular biology, plant biology, genetics, genomics, biotechnology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, or a related discipline.

· Strong interest in gene-expression regulation, RNA biology, translation, molecular genetics, or genome evolution.

· Previous laboratory experience in molecular biology, including DNA cloning, PCR, gene-expression analysis, reporter assays, or plant transformation, is desirable.

· Experience with RNA-seq, ribosome profiling, long-read transcriptomics, Linux, R, Python, or bioinformatics analysis is advantageous but not required.

· Ability and willingness to integrate experimental and computational approaches.

· Strong critical-thinking, organizational, and scientific communication skills.

· Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.

· Commitment to developing and conducting an original PhD research project.

The student will receive interdisciplinary training in molecular biology, RNA biology, functional genomics, bioinformatics, comparative genomics, and plant biotechnology. The position will provide opportunities to develop an independent research program at the interface of fundamental gene-expression biology and synthetic biology.

The position will be based in the Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance and the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas

Application materials

Interested candidates should submit:

1. A curriculum vitae.

2. A statement describing their research interests, relevant experience, career goals, and motivation for pursuing a PhD in this research area.

3. Unofficial academic transcripts.

4. Contact information for three academic or professional references.

5. Examples of relevant publications, presentations, research products, or computational work, if available.

Application materials and questions should be sent to Dr. Damar Lopez-Arredondo

Damar Lopez-Arredondo,
Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST),
Department of Plant & Soil Science,
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, Lubbock, TX, 79409
Email: Damar.Lopez-Arredondo@ttu.edu