Join Us
Opportunities
Graduate students must apply through the Gulbenkian Institute's Doctoral Program for Integrative Biology and Biomedicine. This program is open to candidates of any nationality. Incoming students perform lab rotations and undertake coursework across a broad range of bioscience topics in their first months before selecting a permanent lab in which to undertake their PhD work. Students will be granted a wage stipend for the duration of their studies (typically 4–5 years) sufficient to cover living expenses. The next cohort intake will be in spring 2024.
Postdoctoral fellows should submit their application directly. Please include a brief statement of interest (in your email or as a cover letter), an up-to-date CV, and contact information for at least 3 references. Also, please mention any technical and transferable skills in your application somewhere. Postdoctoral fellows should additionally apply for external funding, and I will be happy to discuss these possibilities once there is mutual interest.
Qualifications: We do a mix of fieldwork, bioinformatics, and wet benchwork. Graduate students should have a good grasp of general biological/scientific concepts, and an enthusiasm toward honing their skills in one or more specialized areas. Postdoctoral applicants should have demonstrated creativity, initiative, and problem-solving ability in their previous positions. Experience in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and/or genomics is preferred. Postdoctoral applicants with various PhD backgrounds will be considered, including but not limited to microbiology, evolution, ecology, cell biology, biochemistry, and computational biology. All applicants should have a strong track record of carrying out projects to successful completion.
Informal enquiries are also welcome. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are wondering whether you may be a good fit, have questions about the research we do, or just want to talk science!
Expectations and Values
Lab members are expected to be highly motivated in attaining personal and professional growth. Becoming an independent thinker is a major goal of scientific training. As such, lab members are expected to take initiative in, and ownership of, their projects. All members of the team are expected to treat each other as peers and to work together to help each other succeed. Everyone is expected to contribute to enriching the intellectual environment of the lab, and the institute at large.
We support our members' pursuit of both their personal and professional goals. As group leader, I will work with each individual to ensure the work they do here best aligns with what they wish to accomplish in the future. I strongly support lab members in developing their own project ideas. I do not expect them to solely pursue an academic career; as we live in a time of rapid social and technological change, I encourage everyone to be open to various job opportunities.
Regarding research outputs, our lab will only publish robust and reproducible results. Whenever feasible, manuscripts will be deposited on preprint servers, and published in open access journals. We do not use journal titles, impact factors, or institutional "prestige" in evaluating the worth of a study. We believe these practices will benefit the scientific endeavor in the long term, and lead to a more equitable and accessible research environment.
The Kwong Lab does not tolerate harassment, bullying, or discrimination of any kind. We welcome members from all diverse backgrounds.