The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics conducts research and teaching at the Faculty of Medicine. In addition to department-wide grants for research and education, the department's research groups have many national and international research projects with external funding. We are an international workplace with employees from many different countries.
The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Umeå University, Sweden, invites applicants for a two-year Postdoctoral fellowship for studies of Gram-positive Type 4 Secretion Systems that facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance. The fellowship is expected to start in spring 2025 or according to agreement. The application deadline is the 28th of January 2025.
Our research group studies the structural and functional aspects of horizontal gene transfer via Type 4 Secretion Systems. Due to the increasingly large spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it is important to understand the basic mechanisms and structure of the very large protein complexes that facilitate this gene transfer.
The overall goal of this project is to study the function and structure of Type 4 Secretion Systems from Gram-positive bacteria. In part depending on the background and interests of the applicant, the project will involve a combination of both in vitro techniques, such as cloning (both standard and knock-in/knock-out via homologous recombination), expression and (membrane) protein purification, single particle electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography, as well as in vivo methods like conjugation and biofilm formation assays or fluorescence microscopy. For recent publications resulted from our work on this system, see e.g. Sun et al, 2024 mBio, Sun et al, 2023 eLife and Jäger et al, 2022 Structure.
Eligibility and qualifications
A person who has been awarded a doctorate or a foreign qualification deemed to be the equivalent of a doctorate within structural biology, biochemistry, cell- and molecular biology, or a related discipline, is eligible for the appointment as a postdoctoral researcher. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time at which postdoctoral fellowship starts.
We seek highly motivated candidates with documented experience in integrated structural biology or biochemistry. You should have hands-on experience with cloning, protein expression and purification. Experience in biochemical / biophysical analysis of membrane proteins and/or protein complexes as well as previous work within the field of cryo-electron microscopy and single particle analysis is advantageous but not per se required. The candidate is expected to have a strong track record in a relevant field of research, documented by authorship in peer-reviewed original publications.
Candidates must be fluent in English. Since the project will be of collaborative nature, candidates are expected to function in a team and have a good ability to co-operate. Good communication skills are required for interacting effectively with colleagues and peers, including colleagues from complementary research fields.
Application
The application must include:
A cover letter explaining why you are interested in the fellowship, how you can contribute to the project and in which direction you may want to develop it (no more than 2 A4 pages)
A curriculum vitae that documents academic education and past and previous employments
A list of your publications
A copy of the PhD certificate and other relevant degree certificates
Names and contact details with e-mail addresses of two or three academic references.
The application should be written in English. The application must be made via our e-recruitment system Varbi and must be received latest 28th of January, 2025.
For further information on this project, please contact Ronnie Berntsson, ronnie.berntsson@umu.se
