News – Biostruct

PhD position available

April 20, 2021/in Open position /by Magnus Andersson

The Andersson lab at the Department of Chemistry at Umeå University, Sweden, is looking to recruit a PhD student to join our team to study ATP-dependent membrane proteins with a specific focus on regulation mechanisms and bacterial antibiotic resistance. We combine structural biology techniques ranging from cryo-EM, X-ray solution scattering, and cutting-edge time-resolved X-ray scattering to determine structures of high-energy states (see our 2020 publication in Science Advances) – that are invisible to other structural biology techniques. So, if you’re interested in pushing the limits of structural biology – come join our team!
Here is a link to the full ad and the application details:

https://www.nature.com/naturecareers/job/phd-student-position-in-chemistry-umea-university-umu-739108
Best,
Magnus Andersson

Postdoc fellowship available to work on Type 4 Secretion Systems – deadline 21st of May

April 14, 2021/in Uncategorized /by admin

The Berntsson lab at the department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Umeå University, Sweden, is recruiting one postdoctoral fellow (funded by the Kempe Foundation) to study the structural and functional aspects of Type 4 Secretion Systems. These large protein complexes are responsible for horizontal gene transfer between bacteria. As such, they facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors between bacteria, both intra- and interspecies.

The overall goal of this project is to study the assembly and structure of the membrane channel of Gram-positive Type 4 Secretion Systems, with the aim of deducing their structure via cryo-EM. Initial work on this project has already been done, with a focus on the individual components of the channel (both unpublished data and Jäger et al, 2020, bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2020.10.30.342212), which we will now build upon. Here at Umeå University we have access to excellent facilities to perform integrated structural biology projects, including a state-of-the-art cryo-EM facility (https://tinyurl.com/b2szms7z).

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a PhD, or another diploma deemed equivalent to a PhD, within molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology or a related field. Furthermore, the applicant must have practical experience and expertise of cloning, protein production and purification in/from bacteria. Previous experience with cryo-EM (single particle analysis or electron tomography) is highly desirable. Previous experience of working with membrane proteins is an advantage, as is experience with Gram-positive bacteria, like E. faecalis. The applicant must have a very good level of English, both written and spoken. To fit into our team, applicants are expected to be good team players, but they should also be able to work independently.

Application

The application should consist of the following:

A motivation letter (max 1 A4), where you highlight why you want to join the lab and study T4SSs. This letter must also include your contact information.
The Curriculum Vitae of the applicant, including a list of published peer-reviewed articles.
Copies of the PhD diploma (or equivalent).
Contact details for three references, of which one should be your PhD supervisor.

The duration of the fellowship, which is a tax-free stipend, is 2 years. Your application should be written in English and prepared as a single package in PDF format, to be submitted to ronnie.berntsson@umu.se. Make sure to use the subject line: “postdoc application 2021-05” in the application email. Submit the application on May 21st, 2021 at the latest. The top ranked candidates will be contacted within two weeks from the closing date for an interview. Starting date will be according to agreement (and of course what the current pandemic situation allows). For more information about the research or other details, please contact Dr. Ronnie Berntsson.

Email: ronnie.berntsson@umu.se

Webpage: https://www.biostruct.umu.se/principal-investigators/ronnie-berntsson/

Postdoc position available in Karina Persson’s group

March 19, 2021/in Uncategorized /by Karina Persson

Apply here: Postdoc position available in Karina Persson’s lab

Postdoc position available in the Andersson lab

February 2, 2021/in Open position /by Magnus Andersson

Postdoctoral fellowship to study membrane protein structural biology
The Andersson lab at the Department of Chemistry at Umeå University, Sweden, is looking to recruit a postdoctoral fellow (2-year fellowship, funded by the Kempe foundation) to join our team to study ATP-dependent membrane proteins with a specific focus on regulation mechanisms and bacterial antibiotic resistance. We combine structural biology techniques ranging from cryo-EM, X-ray solution scattering, and cutting-edge time-resolved X-ray scattering to determine structures of high-energy states (see our 2020 publication in Science Advances) – that are invisible to other structural biology techniques. So, if you’re interested in pushing the limits of structural biology – come join our team!

Qualifications
The required qualification is a doctoral degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, or a related field. The applicant must have practical experience and expertise of protein production and purification. Prior experience from working with membrane proteins, nanodiscs, and structural biology techniques, are considered merits. Good knowledge of the English language, both written and spoken, is required. A suitable candidate should also have good collaboration skills, a high degree of independence, and problem-solving analytical ability.

Application
The application should include:- A cover letter stating why you want to join the lab and study membrane protein structural biology (maximum 1 pages). This letter must also contain your contact details. – A Curriculum Vitae including a list of peer-reviewed published articles – Copies of doctoral degree certificate and other relevant degree certificates- Name and contact information for two reference persons of which one should be your PhD supervisor Send your complete application to: magnus.p.andersson@umu.se and make sure to use the subject line: “postdoc application Kempe”. Applications will be accepted until March 15. The top ranked candidates will be contacted within three weeks from the closing date for an interview. Starting date according to agreement. For more information, contact Dr. Magnus Andersson. The Andersson lab is part of the Integrated Structural Biology community at Umeå University, consisting of 14 research groups that use, and have access to, high-field NMR, X-ray crystallography, world-class cryoEM, and high-performance supercomputing. Webpage: https://www.biostruct.umu.se/principal-investigators/magnus-andersson/

Postdoc position available in the Berntsson lab

January 13, 2021/in Open position /by admin

Postdoctoral fellowship to study Type 4 Secretion System

The Berntsson lab at the department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Umeå University, Sweden, is recruiting one postdoctoral fellow (2-year fellowship, funded by the Kempe Foundation) to study the structural and functional aspects of Type 4 Secretion Systems. These large protein complexes are responsible for horizontal gene transfer between bacteria. As such, they facilitate the spread of, among other genes, antibiotic resistance between bacteria, both intra- and interspecies.

The overall goal of this project is to study the assembly and structure of the membrane channel of Gram-positive Type 4 Secretion Systems. Initial work on this project has already been done, with a focus on the individual components of the channel (see Jäger et al, 2020, bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2020.10.30.342212), which we will now build upon. The project will involve molecular biology, biochemistry and structural biology techniques. For the electron microscopy part of the project, we have here at Umeå University access to a state-of-the-art facility containing (among others) a 300kV Titan Krios (https://www.umu.se/en/research/infrastructure/umea-centre-for-electron-microscopy-ucem/) .

Qualifications

The applicants must possess a PhD, or another diploma deemed equivalent to a PhD, within molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology or a related field. Furthermore, the applicant must have practical experience and expertise of cloning and protein production and purification in bacteria. The applicant should preferably be experienced with (membrane) protein pull-downs and western blotting. Previous experience of working with Gram-positive bacteria, especially E. faecalis, and membrane proteins is an advantage. Previous experience of cryo electron microscopy (especially cryo electron tomography) is highly advantageous. The applicant must have a very good level of English, both written and spoken. The applicants are also expected to be good team players, but should also be able to work independently.

Application

The application should consist of the following:

A motivation letter (max 1 A4), where you highlight why you want to join the lab and study T4SSs. This letter must also include your contact information.
The Curriculum Vitae of the applicant, including a list of published peer-reviewed articles.
Copies of the PhD diploma (or equivalent).
Contact details for three references, of which one should be your PhD supervisor.

The duration of the fellowship is 2 years. Your application should be written in English and prepared as a single package in PDF format, to be submitted to ronnie.berntsson@umu.se. Make sure to use the subject line: “postdoc application 2021-02” in the application email. Submit the application on February 10, 2021 at the latest. The top ranked candidates will be contacted within three weeks from the closing date for an interview. Starting date according to agreement. For more information about the research or other details, please contact Dr. Ronnie Berntsson.

Email: ronnie.berntsson@umu.se

Webpage: https://www.biostruct.umu.se/principal-investigators/ronnie-berntsson/