Seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher (25-2550） Part-time

Postdoctoral Researcher

We are recruiting a person who will work for the JST FOREST project “Self-organizaiton mechanisms of cytoskeletal dynamics and fuctions through a bottom-up reconstitution approach”, which is a part of the 3.5-year external grant JST FOREST (FY2025-FY2028).

The successful candidate will conduct i) reconstitution experiments of cytoskeletal dynamics and related biological functions by encapsulating purified proteins or cell extracts into cell-sized vesicles, and ii) develop mathematical and computational models to elucidate the resulting dynamics.

The job description may be changed during the contract period or upon contract renewal to the extent described above.

The difference in positions is as follows: Carries out research and other work in accordance with laboratory research themes under the mentorship and training of supervisors.

Qualification

• A person who is able to dedicate themselves to the job by communicating, coordinating and collaborating smoothly with people in and out of the laboratory.
• A doctoral degree awarded less than 3 years ago in a field related to the job description.
• Candidates should have expertise in both reconstitution experiments and mathematical modeling related to cytoskeletal mechanics.

Work Location

RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (Yokohama Campus) 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 230-0045 Japan RIKEN may order the employee to change work locations, if necessary.

Salary and Benefits

• A one-year fixed-term employment contract, renewable based on evaluation to March 31, 2028
• RIKEN may adjust the above maximum period of renewability based on a) the employee's abilities, workload at the time of contract completion, performance and work attitude and b) the continuation of the employee's center, laboratory or project and RIKEN's management situation and budget at the time. In principle, employment contracts will not be renewed for individuals older than 70 years. In principle, the first two months of employment are considered a trial period.

Salary will be an annual salary based on experience, ability, and performance, and will consist of a base salary and a variable salary. The variable salary will be determined each fiscal year based on experience, ability, and performance. Discretionary work, commuting and housing allowances will be provided. Social insurance will be applied. The approximate monthly salary including discretionary work allowance at the time of employment will be 367,000 JPY or more. For a candidate who joins RIKEN immediately after finishing their PhD, the monthly pay at hire (including the Discretionary Work Allowance) will be approximately 400,000 JPY.

Mandatory membership in the RIKEN Mutual Benefit Society (RIKEN Kyosaikai).

• Eligible for an exemption from repayment for category 1 scholarship loans provided by the Japan Student Services Organization before fiscal year 2003
• Eligible to apply for the MEXT Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi)

Application and Required Documents

Prepare the documents below as PDF files and follow the instructions in [How to Apply] to submit them. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• CV indicating the desired position (Postdoctoral Researcher) and the open call ID [25-2550] in the upper right corner of the CV. Using the RIKEN format above is appreciated.
• List of research achievement and publications (articles, reviews and books), presentations, etc. in the past 5 years (including Researcher ID or Google Scholar ID, if available)
• Brief description of previous research and achievements, and future research plans (maximum of two A4-size pages).
• One letter of recommendation from the current supervisor, if available. The signature (or seal) of the person providing the recommendation is required. The letter of recommendation should be addressed to the “Director of the Center for Integrative Medical Sciences.” (If it is not possible to provide a letter from the current supervisor, please have a third party write one regarding your current position)
• PhD/Master's degree
• List of competitive external funds obtained (e.g., Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [Kakenhi]; indicate whether you are the representative researcher or the collaborator)
• Consent form for handling personal information based on GDPR/UK GDPR If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, you are required to sign and submit the document, “Consent form for handling personal information based on Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) and the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation.”

How to Apply

The above documents except the recommendation letters should be converted to PDF and uploaded to the following link after these files are combined into a single ZIP file:

RIKEN/IMS BCB Application Box

• Zip file name: 25-2550_desired position_Name
• The file name of each PDF file: 25-2550_desired position_Name_submitted document No.
• When uploading the application documents by a ZIP file via BOX, please make sure to input your contact email address.
• After uploading the ZIP file, please let us (ims-bcb-recruit@ml.riken.jp) know the file name of the uploaded file.

Recommendation letter(s) by PDF must be directly submitted from the referee(s) to the following link.

RIKEN/IMS BCB Application Box

• The file name of the recommendation letter: 25-2550_applicant's name_recommendation letter
• Please specify the applicant's name, referee's name and contact information in the recommendation letter.
• The recommendation letter should be addressed to “Director of the Center for Integrative Medical Sciences”.
• When uploading the PDF letter, please make sure to input your contact email address.
• After uploading the letter, please contact at ims-bcb-recruit@ml.riken.jp to inform the file name of the uploaded file.

If a confirmation email is not received within 7 days after submission, please contact: ims-bcb-recruit@ml.riken.jp.

Note: None of the submitted documents will be returned.

Deadline

Until the position is filled.

Handling Personal Data

Submitted documents are strictly protected under the RIKEN Privacy Policy and will be used only for the purpose of applicant screening at RIKEN. Personal information will not be disclosed, transferred or loaned to a third party under any circumstances without just cause.

Selection Process

Selection will be made based on application screening and interview. (face-to-face or remote interview) After documents screening, only successful applicants will be invited for interview.

Notification of Hiring Decision

The notification of hiring decision (conditional offer of employment) regarding this selection shall be carried out through the presentation of an Employment Contract or a Conditional Offer of Employment issued by RIKEN.

Start of Employment

April 1, 2026 (negotiable)

Contact Information

For inquiries on this open position, please send an email. Laboratory for Bottom-up Cell Biology RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (Yokohama Campus) ims-bcb-recruit@ml.riken.jp

If you have any research-related questions, please send an email. Laboratory for Bottom-up Cell Biology Team Director: Makito Miyazaki Email: makito.miyazaki@riken.jp