Postdoctoral position in structural biology

Department of Molecular Sciences
A postdoctoral position in structural biology is declared vacant at the Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU, Uppsala. The department consists of about 110 employees and together with three other departments forms an inspiring research environment at the BioCenter on campus Ultuna in Uppsala. There is expertise in plant biology, mycology, plant pathology, microbiology, food science, computational genomics, chemistry and biotechnology and infrastructure such as plant cultivation facilities, advanced microscopy and molecular biology, X-ray, mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The department conducts research, teaching and environmental monitoring in the areas of inorganic, physical and organic chemistry, biochemistry, natural product chemistry, food science and microbiology. Research projects are for instance conducted in enzymatic degradation of forest raw materials, production of fish feed from yeast fungi, programmed cell death in plants and biogas production. Visit us at https://www.slu.se/en/departments/molecular-sciences/.
Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Duties:
Do you want to be part of creating the future NMR experiments for interactions between proteins and carbohydrates? Do you have a passionate relationship with NMR spectroscopy and master NMR the same way professional musicians handle their instrument? Do you want to work together with a whole group of researchers who share these interests? If so, this may be a postdoctoral position for you!

Interactions between carbohydrates and proteins are crucial for the development of vaccines and drugs, as well as for understanding the mechanisms of enzymatic degradation of carbohydrates. NMR spectroscopy has an important role for structural studies of proteins and carbohydrates, and for studying interactions between them. However, it is a great challenge to study carbohydrates that bind to proteins, especially those that bind with high affinity. This project aims to develop new NMR methods for protein/carbohydrate complexes using isotopically labeled (13C and 15N) proteins and carbohydrates. The project is led by Associate Professor Gustav Nestor, who has previously shown that a combination of 13C-labeled sugar and 15N-labeled protein can provide information on both the sugar's conformation and orientation in relation to the protein, as well as individual intermolecular hydrogen bonds. See the following publications:

Nestor, G., Anderson, T., Oscarson, S. and Gronenborn, A. M. (2017) Exploiting uniformly 13C-labeled carbohydrates for probing carbohydrate-protein interactions by NMR spectroscopy. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 139, 6210-6216.

Nestor, G., Anderson, T., Oscarson, S. and Gronenborn, A. M. (2018) Direct observation of carbohydrate hydroxyl protons in hydrogen bonds with a protein. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140, 339-345.

Nestor, G., Ruda, A., Anderson, T., Oscarson, S., Widmalm, G., and Gronenborn, A. M. (2021) A detailed picture of a protein-carbohydrate hydrogen-bonding network revealed by NMR and MD simulations. Glycobiology, 31, 508-518.

You will be part of a research group conducting research in structural biology and biotechnology with a strong focus on structural analysis of enzymes using NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, as well as the development of new methods for studying interactions between proteins and carbohydrates with NMR spectroscopy.

Qualifications:
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who has a Doctoral degree in an area relevant to the position, for example in structural biology, chemistry, molecular biology, or equivalent. In order to be employed as a postdoctoral fellow, the candidate should primarily be someone who has completed a doctorate no more than three years ago. If there are special reasons, for example parental leave, the doctoral degree may have been completed earlier.

Experience in NMR spectroscopy on biomolecules, such as proteins, carbohydrates or nucleic acids, is a requirement for the position. Experience within interaction studies by NMR spectroscopy and pulse programming of NMR experiments are valuable merits (but not a requirement for the position), as is experience in expression and purification of proteins. Great emphasis is placed on personal qualities such as collaborative skills, analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to work independently. Good knowledge of English (in both speech and writing) is required.

Placement:
Uppsala

Form of employment:
Temporary employment 2 years

Extent:
100%

Starting date:
According to agreement.

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 2023-03-14, use the button below.

The application should be written in English. The following documents should be included: (1) CV including a publication list, (2) PhD diploma, (3) a description of previous research, other activities of relevance for the position, and a description of specific research interests (maximum two pages), and (4) names and addresses of at least one person able to provide references for the candidate.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is a world-class international university with research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. Its principal sites are in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, but activities are also conducted at research stations, experimental parks and educational establishments throughout Sweden. We bring together people who have different perspectives, but they all have one and the same goal: to create the best conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world.

SLU has just over 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and a turnover of SEK 3 billion. The university has invested heavily in a modern, attractive environment on its campuses.

www.slu.se