The Birnbaum Lab in the Department of Biology at New York University seeks a highly motivated and independent scientist to join the group as a Postdoctoral Associate. The position is based at NYU’s Washington Square campus in New York City.

This is a post-PhD training position designed to prepare the scholar for an independent research-scientist career. It provides a structured path to professional independence, including mentorship from a senior scientist, an individualized development plan aligned with the trainee’s goals and those of the faculty mentor, and the opportunity to publish research throughout the appointment.

The project deploys new whole-genome screening and single-cell RNA-seq (Plant Perturb-Seq) techniques recently developed in the lab. The goal is to use gene-editing approaches to expand the genetic diversity available for crop improvement. The lab also addresses fundamental questions in plant regeneration, pattern formation, and the combinatorial control of gene regulation. Across all projects, there are opportunities to learn and apply advanced live-imaging and computational methods, with access to a high-performance computing cluster configured for machine learning and large-scale protein-interaction screens using AlphaFold. Research spans three plant systems — Arabidopsis, maize, and sorghum — offering a broad comparative perspective on regeneration biology.

The Birnbaum Lab has a strong record of career placement: recent alumni hold faculty positions at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, UC Riverside, Virginia Tech, Université de Paris, Cinvestav, Imperial College London, the University of Warwick, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Please submit your application materials through Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/188013, including: (1) a CV with a list of publications; (2) a brief summary of your present and future research interests; and (3) the names and contact information for three references. Letters of reference are not required at this stage.

A PhD in biology or a related field is required. The candidate should demonstrate a track record of peer-reviewed publications in the field of plant molecular biology.

About Birnbaum Lab New York University

The Birnbaum Lab is part of the Department of Biology at New York University, a private research university in the heart of Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan and one of the country's leading centers for the life sciences. The lab is housed in NYU's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, a collaborative, open-plan research environment that brings experimental, computational, and quantitative biologists together under one roof, with shared access to advanced genomics, imaging, and high-performance computing resources. Led by Dr. Kenneth Birnbaum, the lab studies plant cell identity, regeneration, and cellular reprogramming, combining single-cell genomics and whole-genome screening (Plant Perturb-Seq) with gene-editing approaches across Arabidopsis, maize, and sorghum to address both fundamental questions in development and applied goals in crop improvement.

Connections working at Birnbaum Lab New York University