[phenixbb] Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Structural Biology of Supramolecular Protein Assemblies

[Owen Davies]

Dear all,

I would like to advertise a postdoctoral position that is currently available in my lab at the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK (https://www.wcb.ed.ac.uk/research/owen-davies). This position is for an initial period of three years (with possibility to extend), to work on the integrative structural biology of the synaptonemal complex.

The synaptonemal complex is a supramolecular protein structure that assembles during meiosis to facilitate homologous chromosome synapsis and crossover formation. Its immense structure, of many micrometers in length, is formed through the combination of at least three unique self-assembling protein systems, which individually form lattice-like arrays, para-crystalline filaments and 'intermediate filament'-like fibres. This position aims to determine the molecular structure of the human synaptonemal complex and its constituent complexes through their reconstitution from recombinant proteins. This will be achieved through a cutting-edge structural biology approach, involving cryo-EM single particle reconstruction and tomography, structure solution of components by X-ray crystallography, solution biophysics (including X-ray and light scattering, and single-molecule biophysics), and the integration of experimental findings by advanced computational modelling of structures and assembly dynamics.
The post is funded by a Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship, and will be hosted in a well-equipped and well-funded lab, which includes the following:
Extensive biochemical equipment (including numerous Akta Pure systems, SEC-MALS etc)
Protein production and characterisation facility (https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/research/facilities/edinburgh-protein-production-facility-eppf)
State-of-the-art biophysics equipment (including C-trap optical tweezers)
In-house TEM, SEM and newly upgraded cryo-EM facility (https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/research/facilities/electron-microscopy)
Regular time on macromolecular crystallography and SAXS synchrotron beamlines at Diamond Light Source (https://www.diamond.ac.uk)
Regular cryo-EM time on Titan-Krios microscopes at Diamond Light Source (https://www.diamond.ac.uk) and Jeol microscopes at the Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging (https://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/iii/cvr/facilities/scmi/)
Local provision of high-performance GPU computation for cryo-EM, modelling and molecular dynamics

This position provides a unique opportunity for a highly enthusiastic applicant to perform transformative research through an integrative approach that is directed towards the new era of structural biology that address protein assemblies at a cellular scale. The successful candidate will lead this project (including several PhD students), and will be fully supported in applying for postdoctoral research fellowships within the lab, and independent research positions at the end of the postdoc. In suitable cases, at least part of the project, or a new project to be started during the employment, could be taken by the successful candidate as the basis for their future research career.
Please see the following manuscripts for examples of our previous work:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41594-021-00636-z
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41594-018-0078-9
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07794-7
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abb1660
https://elifesciences.org/articles/60175
Full publication list available at https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-owen-davies

The advert for the position is available via the following link:
https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CRX346/postdoctoral-research-associate-in-the-structural-biology-of-supramolecular-protein-assemblies

The application deadline is 6th September, and candidates should apply by following the 'apply' link on the above advert. Please feel free to contact me directly (Owen.Davies at ed.ac.uk<mailto:Owen.Davies at ed.ac.uk>) for informal discussions and additional information.

Best wishes,

Owen.


Dr Owen Davies

Wellcome Senior Research Fellow

Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology

University of Edinburgh

Michael Swann Building

Max Born Crescent

Edinburgh

EH9 3BF
United Kingdom

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th' ann an Oilthigh Dh?n ?ideann, cl?raichte an Alba, ?ireamh cl?raidh SC005336.
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