The Downs Lab

Our new review, looking into the roles of SWI/SNF in the chromatin environment around centromeres, is just out in Open Biology! @kezlane.bsky.social @thedownslab.bsky.social

Boundary issues: SWI/SNF shapes chromatin patterns in and around centromeres Abstract. The SWI/SNF family of chromatin remodelling complexes, comprising BAF, PBAF and ncBAF, is known for their critical roles in regulating chromatin

Some Friday reading...new review in Open Biology where we discuss how SWI/SNF maintains the chromatin environment around centromeres, building on recent work from ourselves and others. Lots of fun putting this together with @alison-harrod.bsky.social and @thedownslab.bsky.social!

My lab at the University of Birmingham have a fully funded 4 year PhD position available, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT).

Informal enquiries to r.a.broderick@bham.ac.uk

APPLICATION LINK:
sits.bham.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd...

Lillian Wu with her examiners Viji Draviam and Fumiko Esashi

The amazing @lillianwu.bsky.social is now the amazing Dr Lillian Wu 🎉 She passed her viva with flying colours. Massive thanks to her wonderful examiners @esashilab.bsky.social and @viji-draviam.bsky.social

Photo of the London Guildhall

Congratulations to Dr Noa Amin (times two since she was already a medical doctor but now has an amazing PhD)!!! #proudsupervisor Beautiful @icr.ac.uk award ceremony at the Guildhall

Senior Research Technician at University of Birmingham Explore an exciting academic career as a Senior Research Technician. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.

We are looking for a senior technician (can undertake PhD) at Uni of Birmingham (UK) to study chromatin replication and ubiquitylation using Xenopus egg extract. Deadline 28/10/25. Get in touch with me or @m-saponaro.bsky.social for informal inquiries. Please share.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOW912/s...

#Jobalert 🚨: Please RT !
Looking for a #PhD student for exciting project on the interphase between epigenetics and cellular metabolism:
How do (nuclear) metabolic enzymes reguate chromatin function ?
#epigenomics, #epigenetics, #metabolism
www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/ife/job-o...

Are you interested in working on related projects? 🌱
The Knipscheer lab at the Hubrecht Institute (Utrecht, the Netherlands) has openings for a postdoc and a PhD position.
Apply here: www.hubrecht.eu/jobs

Description Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...

We are hiring! We are looking for a PDRA to study the epigenetics of breast cancer dormancy using chemical biology and genomics approaches. This is a 3-year position and is aimed at chemical biologists or biologists. Please share and apply using the link below 👇👇👇

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Description Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...

@mariasecrier.bsky.social & I are looking for an enthusiastic & excellent data scientist for a 4-year postdoc to understand cell cycle dysregulation in cancer.

Deadline 15th October. Get in touch if you have any questions.

Please repost!

More details:
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Now out! Led by @susana-sousa.bsky.social and Noa Amin, and thanks to our collaborators in the Harrington @icr.ac.uk and Stucki and Choudhary @jc4-jyoti.bsky.social labs

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Great story from our fantastic neighbour Jörg Mansfeld!

Beautiful #pyrenees 😍. Totally refreshed and decompressed.

Wonder how long that will last....

Congratulations 🥳 @alison-harrod.bsky.social for winning the oral communication prize at the Biochemical Society Alternative Nucleic Acid Topology meeting for her talk on SMARCA4 and G quadruplexes! 🎉👏🎉

You are on fire 🔥👏 🤩

Photo of people in the lab drinking beer

Many of these were from the @icr.ac.uk conference, which was a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues. And drink beer.

photo of Lillian in front of her poster

And @lillianwu.bsky.social presented a poster with her PhD thesis work on CENPB!

photo of Alison in front of her poster

Alison also presented her work as a poster (and will be attending the upcoming AlterNat Biochem Soc meeting if anyone wants to hear more!)

photo of Karen giving a talk

@kezlane.bsky.social Karen Lane presented work she did with @susana-sousa.bsky.social and Noa Amin on ARID1A and G4s (not her main project - watch this space for a project coming out soon on cohesin dynamics in SWI/SNF deficient cells)

photo of Alison giving a seminar

A little shout-out to the lab, who have been out in force lately presenting their work! Starting with @alison-harrod.bsky.social talking about her work with Pedro Zuazua Villar and @naghamg.bsky.social on SMARCA4 and G quadruplexes

Are you @ the late stages of your postdoc ? Want to pursue a PI career ?

Then this 👇👇 is for you ! Apply for a spot @ our Talent Forum
www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/stem-cell...

Peer-networking / Career orientation and more !!!

Please distribute :) 🙂

ARID1A stabilises non-homologous end joining factors at DNA breaks induced by the G4 ligand pyridostatin ARID1A is a subunit of the BAF chromatin remodelling complex that is frequently mutated in cancer. It is challenging to predict how ARID1A loss impacts cancer therapy response because it participates ...

New preprint from the lab on ARID1A, G quadruplexes, and repair:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

PhD Studentship: Understanding and Targeting Cell Cycle Control in Cancer at University of Sussex At jobs.ac.uk, you can apply for a PhD Studentship: Understanding and Targeting Cell Cycle Control in Cancer. Explore our diverse range of PhD opportunities today.

Tony Oliver’s and my lab have a joint phd position available to investigate mitotic entry control mechanisms
Please forward to prospective students! Thank you

url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/ukMTCoy6DT...

A must for all DNA repair aficionados!

Egmond DNA Repair Meeting → April 19–24, 2026 🇳🇱
✔️ Confirmed top speakers
✔️ Ample opportunities for talks & posters

Don’t miss it: dnarepairmeeting-egmond2026.com

6 Postdoctoral and PhD positions in Center for Epigenetic Cell Memory (EpiC) The Center for Epigenetic Cell Memory (EpiC) is a new Center of Excellence that will be established based on funding by the Danish National Research Foundation.

🚨𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭!🚨The Groth @groth-anja.bsky.social, Mailand, Nilsson @nilssonlab.bsky.social & Krietenstein @nilskrietenstein.bsky.social labs are hiring 𝟔 𝐏𝐡𝐃&𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐬 to join the new Center for Epigenetic Cell Memory (EpiC) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Apply here: tinyurl.com/yvd93na2 & please share!

Senior Research Officer at University of Essex Searching for an academic job? Explore this Senior Research Officer opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

We have a postdoctoral opening for a researcher with experience in bioinformatics of DNA sequencing and machine learning to work on the development of new methods for cancer diagnostics related to nucleosomes, chromatin and beyond www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMK060/s.... Application deadline: 21st April 2025

Nobel prize-winning technology in cancer care - The Cancer Researcher Katalin Karikó's work into mRNA vaccines

Hey, look at this story that our @postdockatie.bsky.social wrote! magazine.eacr.org/nobel-prize-...

Please repost! Post-doc studying novel mechanisms of post-replicative gap-filling available in my lab here in beautiful Snowdonia, between July 2025 to end Nov 2026. Generous travel budget. Lab is full of friendly and supportive colleagues. Link below, or DM me/email c.staples@bangor.ac.uk for info

Thank you Ronan!

Thanks Christian!