Author: Lacramioara Bintu

Recruiting graduate students and postdocs

We are looking for new graduate students and postdocs to join our team! Please contact Lacra if you are interested at lbintu@stanford.edu.

If you are a graduate student already at Stanford, please email Lacra to talk about a possible rotation. Please include your CV, a brief description of previous research, and other labs at Stanford that you are considering for rotations. We welcome students from any science, engineering, or medicine department.

If you are interested in joining the Bintu Lab as a graduate student but are not yet admitted to Stanford, please apply for a PhD through the official website. Depending on your undergraduate degree and the coursework you want to take, different graduate programs might be best for you. Most of our students come in through Bioengineering, a program in the Biosciences such as: Biophysics, Genetics, Biology, Chemical and Systems Biology, Developmental Biology, or the MD-PhD program. If you are an international student, you have a higher chance of admission through Bioengineering.

If you are looking for a postdoc position, please email Lacra briefly describing your previous research and why you are interested in joining us. Please attach your CV with links to publications (including bioRxiv preprints), and email contacts for references (mainly your PhD advisor).

Position Filled: Lab Manager – Research Assistant

Update, August 2022: We have already hired a Lab Manager-Research Assistant . This position is no longer available.

An immediate opening is available for a job (1-2 year commitment, 2 years preferred) as lab manager and research assistant in the Bintu Lab in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University.

The Bintu Lab uses systems and synthetic biology approaches to understand and control gene and chromatin regulation in human cells. This is an opportunity to work on projects that develop new gene control and epigenetic engineering tools. Techniques used include molecular cloning, engineering of mammalian cell lines, CRISPR screens, and flow cytometry. The position will involve close collaboration with a friendly and inclusive interdisciplinary team.

This is an excellent training opportunity for anyone interested in attending graduate school in Bioengineering, Biophysics, Genetics, Biology, other bio-programs or Medical School. Our previous research assistant, Michael Herschl, is now a PhD student in the UCSF-Berkeley Bioengineering Graduate Program. This job would also work well for a research scientist who wants a full-time long-term position as lab manager and research assistant. Alternatively, a part-time (50%) long-term position for just the lab manager portion would work as well. We loved our previous part-time lab manager Rhonda DiGiusto, who is now enjoying her retirement after a lifetime of helping grow research labs.

CORE DUTIES*:

  • Help with general lab maintenance: maintain lab stock, manage chemical inventory and safety records, and provide general lab support as needed, ~50% of the time.
  • Perform experiments and data analysis in support of research projects in the Bintu lab, ~50% of the time. Experiments include: molecular cloning of individual plasmids or pooled libraries, creation of stable engineered mammalian cell lines, flow cytometry and FACS, genomic DNA extraction, preparation of NGS libraries. Your contribution will be recognized by authorship on published manuscripts.

* Other duties may also be assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Attention to detail and critical thinking
  • Ability to following detailed instructions and maintain accurate records
  • Excellent communication and organizational skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with a diverse group of people
  • Strong academic record in molecular and cellular biology, biophysics, biochemistry or bioengineering
  • Experience in molecular lab environment, specifically cloning and sterile tissue culture, would be a plus.

Please apply by emailing Lacra Bintu at lbintu@stanford.edu. Please attach a CV and transcript (especially if you plan to apply to grad school), and explain your career goals and desired start date in the body of the email.

Postdoc Position Available

We are looking for a postdoc to work on high-throughput development of compact tools for transcriptional and chromatin regulation in human cells. We have funding for this work through a Novel Genomic Technology Development R01 Grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute, joint between the Bintu and Bassik Labs

The postdoc in this position will benefit from joint mentoring from Lacra Bintu (Assistant Professor of Bioengineering) and Michael Bassik (Associate Professor of Genetics), and will have access to resources and techniques of both labs, including: next-generation sequencing, CRISPR screens, flow cytometry, time-lapse fluorescence imaging, and multiplex DNA FISH.

Postdoc candidates, please send a CV, including names and contact information for 3 references. Additionally, please provide a brief cover letter describing your previous experience, career goals, proposed start date, and an informal description of your general scientific interests. Please email all documents in PDF format to: lbintu@stanford.edu and bassik@stanford.edu.

Lab Hike

We went for a hike at the Stanford Dish to celebrate the end of the winter quarter and welcome spring. We got to hang out with each other in person as a group (with masks and socially distanced) for the first time in a year! And we are well on our way to being a fully vaccinated lab.

New preprints!

We are very excited to share two new preprints from our lab, both out today!

The first project, led by grad student Mike Van, discusses using nanobodies to recruit endogeneous chromatin regulators at a target locus to control gene expression and epigenetic memory. Check it out here!

The second, led by grad student Josh Tycko, describes HT-recruit, a method for testing thousands of protein domains in human cells, and some of the results we got applying it to transcriptional effectors. Check it out here!

Black Lives Matter

In light of recent events, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the pain felt by Black communities due to the murder of Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery. They are but the latest victims in a long line of stolen Black lives. 

We have taken time to reflect on what we as a lab can do to help fight against anti-Black racism and discrimination in all its forms. We are committed to using our resources and our privilege to lift those who are ignored, demeaned, and mistreated by a society that fails to appropriately value and treasure the lives of its minorities. 

Additionally, we would like to invite any individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to reach out to us if interested in a research position, whether that be as a research assistant, graduate student, or postdoc. We are an interdisciplinary group and that puts us in the habit of helping each other, since all of us come with gaps in certain areas by definition. Our commitment to you is to foster an inclusive environment and provide each person with the resources and support they need to thrive as a scientist and human being. 

TA Awards and Qualifying Exams!

Congratulations to Michaela and Connor for both receiving the Stanford Cenntennial Award for Teaching ! We are so proud that these outstanding teachers are members of our lab. The annual Centennial Teaching Assistant  Awards recognizes outstanding teaching assistant for their tremendous service and dedication in providing excellent classroom instruction for Stanford students.

In other recent news, congratulations to Nicole and Michaela for passing their qualifying exams!

2019 Bintu Lab Retreat

We wrapped up the summer by going up North to wine country.

We had an amazing time wine-tasting, hanging out by the Russian River, and discussing science. And this time we actually remembered to take some pictures:

Awesome brunch at the house in Ukiah that we rented for the night:

New members join the group

In the last 3 months our group doubled in size! We are very excited to welcome:

Three new graduate students: Joydeb Sinha (Chemical and Systems Biology), Michaela Hinks (Bioengineering), and Nicole DelRosso (Biophysics, co-advised with Polly Fordyce)

Two new postdocs: Taihei Fujimori (from Satoshi Sawai’s lab at University of Tokyo) started in May 2019, and Jun Wan (from Beth Weaver’s Lab at University of Wisconsin – Madison) will join in January 2020.

One new research assistant: Michael Herschl just graduated from the Stanford Bioengineering undergraduate program and is now continuing his work in the lab as a research assistant.

We had a lab party on June 1st, but had such a good time that we forgot to take any group pictures!

But here’s a picture from a surprise party lab members organized for Lacra’s birthday (from left to right: Lacra, Josh, Mike, Sarah, Michaela, Joydeb, Taihei, Connor):

Postdoc Positions Available

The lab of Dr. Lacra Bintu employs single-cell methods, synthetic biology, and mathematical modeling to understand chromatin and gene regulation in a quantitative manner. The lab is part of Stanford University’s Bioengineering Department, which is joint between the Schools of Engineering and Medicine. Postdocs will have access to considerable resources for cell biology, fluorescence imaging, epigenomics, and computation in the lab as well as participate in a stimulating, productive research community. Positions are funded and provide competitive salaries for living in the beautiful northern California area.

Postdoc positions are available in the following areas:

  • single-cell, multiplexed detection of chromatin modifications
  • high-throughput synthetic manipulations of chromatin
  • the role of chromatin in the innate immune response, including natural killer cells

Projects are not restricted to these topics; if you are interested in chromatin and gene regulation and enjoy quantitative puzzles, apply to do fun science with us!

Postdoc candidates, please send a CV, including names and contact information for 3 references. Additionally, please provide a brief cover letter describing your previous experience, career goals, proposed start date, and an informal description of your general scientific interests. Please email all documents in PDF format to: lbintu@stanford.edu.