College of Biological Sciences

Dr. Daniel Voytas Lab is seeking a sophomore or junior undergraduate to join the lab. This position is for students who are thinking about a research career in biotech/life sciences. 

Projects involve cutting edge genetic engineering, virology and synthetic biology in crop plants. Students who are accepted will gain skills in:

• Molecular cloning
• Plant rearing and genetic modification
• Viral engineering for biotechnology
• RNA extraction and qPCR
• Python coding and data analysis

There are several potential projects that are span modifying the pathways with which plants make chemicals, the developmental programs that control plant shape, or re-engineering plant viruses to rapidly generate transgenic plants. The end goal of all the projects is to develop technologies to combat hunger and malnutrition around the world. Watch a video describing some of the work and an introductory panel discussion about plant synthetic biology.

Position Details

• This is not a technician job. You will be trained to be a scientist, with participation in journal clubs and lab meetings and can register for research credits/UROPS based on your departmental restrictions. As students gain more experience and skill they will be given increasing independence. 
• The skills you will gain will be broadly applicable to both grad school as well as biotech industries. 
• Requires 10-15 hours a week commitment to lab work. Hours can be flexible depending on mentor availability and independence.
• While prior lab experience is a plus, it is by no means required.

If you are interested please contact Arjun Khakhar (akhakhar@umn.edu) with your CV to apply for an interview.