Dear all, please see below for a call for a 3-year full-time research fellowship project at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France.
Visualization of hydrogen atoms in carbohydrate-binding proteins and their complexes Context This 3-year research fellowship is part of the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) COFUND research project AMBER, Advanced Multiscale Biological imaging using European Research infrastructures coordinated by the LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science. AMBER has six core partners: Lund University/MAX IV, Sweden, the European Spallation Source (ESS), Sweden, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), France, the International Institute of Molecular Mechanisms and Machines, (IMOL), Poland, and the Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, UK. For more information about AMBER: https://www.ambercofund.eu [https://www.ambercofund.eu/] For more information about this Research fellowship (ref 24/58) at Institut Laue-Langevin (deadline 24/02/2025) please visit: https://www.ill-recruits.eu/generator.php?id=1891 [https://www.ill-recruits.eu/generator.php?id=1891] For more information about all the post-doctoral/research fellow positions within the AMBER co-fund project: https://www.euraxess.se/jobs/289120 [https://www.euraxess.se/jobs/289120] Description of the ILL’s Project This call is for a 3-year full-time research fellowship project, focused on using single-crystal neutron diffraction techniques in combination with other structural biology techniques, in order to visualize important hydrogen atoms in carbohydrate-binding proteins and their complexes. Protein-carbohydrate interactions are involved in the first step of many infectious processes. Many pathogens (bacteria, viruses and fungi) recognize sugar epitopes present in glycolipids and glycoproteins on host tissue as the first step of infection. On the other hand, many human lectins such as the ones of the dendritic cells, recognize fragments of bacterial cell wall polysaccharide as the first stage of the innate immunity process. A detailed structural knowledge of the interactions may serve as the basis for the design of new inhibitors that could act as alternative strategies to antibiotic treatment in some infections. At the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) [https://www.ill.eu/], the world’s most powerful steady state neutron source, advanced beamlines for neutron crystallography are available (LADI and DALI) along with dedicated laboratories for the production of fully deuterated proteins (D-Lab). Researchers from the Glyco@Alps network at the Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS) and Centre de Recherches sur les Macromolécules Végétales (CERMAV) have expertise in production of recombinant human and microbial lectins, respectively. In addition, certain saccharides (and their analogs) can be produced in deuterated form via a synthetic biology approach, in collaboration with CERMAV (see Gajdos et al., 2021, Glycobiology 31, 151; Gajdos et al., Nat. Commun. 13, 194). Moreover, the Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB) on the European Photon and Neutron (EPN) Science campus provides a unique environment for state-of-the-art integrated structural biology with access to many technical platforms for sample production, biophysical characterization and structure determination. Name and working place of the Principal investigator Matthew Blakeley, Large-Scale Structures group, Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France, is responsible for the neutron macromolecular crystallography beamlines LADI and DALI. His research uses single-crystal neutron diffraction in combination with other structural biology techniques for studies of biological macromolecular structure and function, typically health/disease related and with a particular focus on structure-based drug design. Minimum requirements • PhD in structural biology/chemistry, with excellent knowledge of biochemistry and molecular biology, including experience in protein expression, purification and crystal growth. • Applicants need to have a maximum 8 years after a doctoral degree (PhD), as required by the Commission, in accordance with the Horizon-Europe MSCA COFUND project Grant Agreement. • At least one original publication in a peer-reviewed journal. • A complete application package submitted through the AMBER portal (including CV and detailed research plan). • Strict compliance with the MSCA mobility rule that the researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host organisation's country for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline. • Applicants should be fluent in English, have good communication skills and should demonstrate their ability to develop and conduct high-quality research, both in a team and independently. • Additional expertise for the position: Experience in neutron and X-ray single-crystal diffraction techniques (data collection, data reduction/structural refinement) and knowledge of programming languages, such as Python, would be desirable. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 This message was issued to members of www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CCP4BB, a mailing list hosted by www.jiscmail.ac.uk, terms & conditions are available at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/
