Nina Schmolka

This PhD-level research fellowship is based at the Católica Biomedical Research Centre of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Oeiras, Portugal, working in the Nina Schmolka Lab on developmental haematopoiesis . The project focuses on unraveling the molecular control of embryonic blood development , an area where the mechanisms governing early blood commitment are still poorly understood. The successful candidate will join a project that studies how transcriptional and chromatin-based mechanisms shape lineage choice during embryonic blood development. The work combines mouse embryonic stem cell and human induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation models with large-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens to identify molecular regulators of early haematopoiesis. The fellowship offers the chance to functionally characterise newly identified regulators using a broad toolkit that includes high-dimensional FACS analysis , controlled knock-out strategies, gene expression analysis, chromatin accessibility assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, ATAC-seq, and genome-wide binding analysis. The broader goal is to discover novel regulatory mechanisms in early blood development and to support future improvements in stem cell derivation and expansion protocols relevant to blood disease applications. The position is embedded in a supportive research environment with regular meetings and mentoring under the supervision of Professor Nina Schmolka .