Doctoral student in molecular biophysics Type of employment: Limit of tenure, Four years Extent: 100 % Location: Department of Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund First day of employment: 2014-10-01
Research assignments The PhD student will work with structural studies of protein-ligand interactions, using the carbohydrate-binding protein galectin-3 as a model system. The doctoral work is part of a larger project involving seven research groups at LU that aims at a detailed dissection of the roles of enthalpy and entropy role in protein-ligand interactions. The student will determine the structures of a large number of complexes of galectin-3 with novel synthetic ligand using X-ray crystallography at ultra-high resolution, as well as a smaller number of neutron crystal structures of selected complex. The work will include the purification of proteins, production of crystals (of "normal" size for X-ray diffraction and very large crystals for neutron studies), X-ray and neutron data collection and processing and modelling. The project will involve interaction with research groups engaged in organic synthesis, biophysical characterisation, in vitro and cell-based assays and quantum mechanics calculations. Eligibility requirements Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who have completed a second-cycle degree, have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad. Special eligibility requirements comprise knowledge from first-cycle studies or the equivalent, but can also refer to special professional experience. Additionally, sufficient knowledge of the subject area is required for third-cycle studies. Students meeting special eligibility requirements are those who have at least 60 higher education credits within the same subject area as the third-cycle studies, of which in-depth work of at least 30 higher education credits of relevance to the subject area, a Swedish medical degree or Swedish certification as a doctor. Special requirements for this position: The candidate must have Bachelor's degree in an appropriate subject (preferably Chemistry) and will ideally have previous experience in structural biology, both theoretical and practical. The candidate should also be proficient in physical chemistry, especially thermodynamics. Ability to work as part of a team that spans multiple disciplines, but at the same time to take responsibility for their own work and drive it forward is fundamental, as the research group is involved in a variety of other projects. Document to include with the application: A summary (1/2-1 page) motivating why you wish to perform a PhD education in molecular biophysics at Lund University, and how the present research project matches your own research interests and scientific background. Doctoral candidates may be required to work with educational tasks and administration in addition to research, up to a level of approximately 20%. See here for more details and instructions on how to apply: http://www.lu.se/lediga-anstallningar-available-jobs?x=0&Dnr=615182&Type=E For further details you can also contact Derek Logan, Senior lecturer derek.lo...@biochemistry.lu.se Esko Oksanen, Adjunct lecturer esko.oksa...@esss.se
