OPEN POSITIONS
Join the Jones!Lab
Pursue your career goals by contributing and building your scientific, engineering and computational skills as the newest member of our team! We are one of six inaugural research groups at the VU LSC - EMBL Partnership Institute, centered on developing novel genome editing technologies. We aim to discover, develop and characterize broad classes of programmable enzymes – including CRISPR nucleases – with a special interest in uncovering their mechanisms of specificity.
BS or MS STUDENT
The Jones!Lab seeks ambitious students ready to pursue exciting projects in gene editing. A background in either molecular biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics or computer science will help you excel on our team. A successful applicant will also:
• demonstrate enthusiasm for using team-based approaches to pursue our research goals.
• have a strong work ethic.
• have demonstrated Python programming skills.
• train and learn from fellow lab members.
• written and spoken fluency in English.
Ready to advance your education? Submit your CV, motivation letter and reference contact to Prof. Stephen Jones by email or LinkedIn!
PhD STUDENT
CRISPR-Cas systems offer precise DNA sequence recognition but largely ignore epigenetic features, limiting their ability to distinguish identical sequences in different regulatory states. This PhD project aims to engineer CRISPR-Cas enzymes whose activity depends on epigenetic marks, introducing a new, orthogonal, context-aware axis of target recognition.
The project integrates experimental enzyme evolution and computational protein design. We will construct large libraries of Cas variants to screen for activity in response to epigenetic markers via iterative rounds of selection, enrichment, and molecular characterization. We will use cutting edge machine learning tools to prioritize variants across evolution cycles and structure-aware approaches to design structurally plausible protein-DNA interactions for high-throughput screening. These strategies will enable systematic exploration of otherwise intractable protein sequence space. By overcoming current limitations in epigenetic discrimination, this project could enable new therapeutic strategies for diseases where epigenetic dysregulation is central.
We encourage ambitious students to apply that have demonstrated wet lab skills and solid computational experience, including proven experience with the Python programming language. The student should be very motivated to operate at the interface of genome editing and machine learning. The student must have a Masters degree before entering the PhD program at Vilnius University.
Ready to advance your education? Submit your CV, motivation letter and reference contact to Dr. Jonas Kubilius by email before March 15th, 2026.
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Are you a polymath? Does fusing scientific disciplines excite you? How about developing gene editing technologies for our society and our earth?
The Jones!Lab invites PhD holders (and soon-to-be PhD holders) to submit an application for an ERC-funded postdoctoral position with our team. We perform ambitious, vital, internationally-funded research: we discover, engineer and harness gene editing tools – including CRISPR – by developing technologies that reveal how these powerful machines operate.
The Jones!Lab provides its team members with the resources to succeed. Our team members have access to facilities across Europe, EMBO programs for career development, financial resources for performing and sharing research, and connections with world-wide inter-disciplinary collaborators. By joining us at the EMBL Partnership Institute for Genome Editing Technologies in Vilnius University, you will also benefit from the cutting-edge equipment and brilliant minds that span EMBL sites and the VU Life Sciences Center. Your only limits will be your creativity and ability!
As the newest member of our team, you will join us in advancing projects that maximize the predictability and programmability of RNA-guided gene editors. You will rely on your prior PhD training in RNA biology, computational biology, or genome engineering (or a related field) to help you succeed. And because our projects combine biochemistry with high-throughput sequencing technologies, your will leverage your skills with Python resources like SciPy, NumPy and BioPython to achieve your goals. Do you think you are the right researcher for our team, but have something else in mind? We’d love to hear about your well-motivated, creative project within the genome editing field!
The Jones!Lab believes science should be an inclusive sport, so we encourage people of all origins and identities to apply. No matter what, you can expect colleagues that share your passion for research and team-based contributions to the life sciences. You will be fully and competitively paid, and if needed, assisted with moving and residency. You will also be well-positioned to benefit from widening fellowships and programs offered to international researchers in Lithuania.
So are you ready to join the Jones!Lab? Submit your CV, motivation letter and reference contacts to Prof. Stephen Jones by email or LinkedIn!