Jobs in Structural Biology and Related Fields


Postdoctoral Scientist - Structural and Chemical Biology of E3 ligases


University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Application deadline: 07 Dec 2020


The Centre for Medicines Discovery is seeking a Postdoctoral Scientist to join the Growth Factor Signalling and Ubiquitination Group led by Associate Professor Alex Bullock as part of the new Horizon2020 IMI2-funded consortium, “EUbOpen” (www.eubopen.org), which aims to develop high quality chemical tool compounds for 1000 proteins (one third of the druggable proteins in the human body). The consortium involves 22 partners from academia and the pharmaceutical industry and will involve significant collaborative teamwork. This post will focus on druggable E3 ubiquitin ligase families. E3 ligases are attractive targets for the design of small molecule PROTACs, which recruit neo-substrates to an E3 ligase for targeted protein degradation. This approach has potential advantages over traditional occupancy-based inhibitors with respect to dosing, side effects, drug resistance and modulating 'undruggable' targets.

As a Postdoctoral Scientist you will manage own academic research and administrative activities. This includes establishing efficient protein expression and purification systems for novel human E3 ligases, crystallizing and solving the 3D structures of these proteins and their ligand complexes, performing biochemical and biophysical assays to characterise the binding of E3s to substrate proteins, peptide degrons and low molecular weight compounds with the goal to develop highly selective chemical probe molecules. You will work independently and as part of a team to complete research projects and draw conclusions from analysing protein structures and other biochemical data. You will also contribute to the scientific output of the group by publishing high quality manuscripts as well as progress reports required for the EUbOpen project. You will additionally present data at group meetings as well as at external scientific meetings, particularly those involving our EUbOpen indus!
try partners.

You will have a PhD in protein biochemistry/structural biology with an excellent academic track record, a good scientific publication record, proven experience in protein expression, purification, biochemical characterization and structure determination. You will have experience supervising students or technical personnel as well as excellent organisation and project management skills.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online and you will be required to upload a supporting statement and CV as part of your online application.

This post is offered full-time on a fixed term contract until 31st October 2022 and is funded by IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative).

Only applications received before 12 noon on 7 December 2020 will be considered.

Find out more and apply here.

Oxford, United Kingdom

Postdoctoral Scientist - Structural and Chemical Biology of E3 ligases