Postdoctoral fellow - Institute of Biotechnology (apply through MERIT Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme 2nd call)

15 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Research Field

Chemistry » Biochemistry
Biological sciences » Biology
Physics » Biophysics

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Czech Republic

Application Deadline

15 Apr 2024 - 12:00 (Europe/Prague)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

HE / MSCA COFUND

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Deadline April 15, 2024. Apply now!

The Laboratory of Structural Biology at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, located in BIOCEV in Central Bohemia is now looking for a postdoctoral fellow for up to 2.5 years. The successful candidate will join the research team of the Laboratory of Structural Biology where she/he will co-lead a project aimed at structural and functional characterization of zinc-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs). The multidisciplinary project is aimed at providing a mechanistic understanding of physiological roles of HDACs at the molecular level. To this end, we use molecular biology, biophysical techniques, genetic code expansion technology, single molecule TIRF microscopy, and X-ray crystallography/cryoEM to understand the recognition of substrates by HDACs. The combined knowledge will be further used to develop isoform- as well organism-specific HDAC inhibitors. Metabolomics and lipidomics will complement in vitro studies in our quest to identify unknown physiological substrates and roles of HDACs in physiology. Given the main focus of the research group, the expected outputs of the fellowship are high-level scientific publications.

The candidate shall have a PhD degree in biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, structural biology, or a related field. She/he shall have a record of publications in peer-reviewed international journals, excellent communication skills and be able to work independently with a proactive attitude but also as a part of a multi-person research team. She/he will contribute to supervision of junior colleagues, manuscript writing, and present your results at international meetings. Prior experience with heterologous protein expression and purification, biophysics, structural methods, cryoEM, and enzyme kinetics is a plus. The fellow may also liaise with a wide network of our international collaborators through international secondments in Germany and US.

 

Requirements

Research Field

Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Applicants must be in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of MERIT’s call deadline. There is no age limit. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered as postdoctoral researchers and will be considered eligible to apply.

Specific Requirements

The applicant must apply through the open call MERIT Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme .

A mobility rule will be applied to all categories of researchers. Fellows must relocate to the Czech Republic. Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the Czech Republic for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline.

Categories of researchers:

• Standard. Researchers moving within Europe or coming in from other parts of the world.
• Researchers at Risk. Researchers with the status of refugees or researchers at all stages of their careers who are experiencing threats to their life, liberty or research career, and those who are forced to flee or have been displaced because of such threats.
• Career Restart. Researchers who wish to restart their research after a career break (e.g., after parental leave, working outside research, etc.). The researchers must not have been active in research for a continuous period of at least 12 months within the 18 months immediately prior to the deadline for submission of proposals.
• Integration. Czech nationals or long-term residents who wish to return and reintegrate in a longer-term research position in the Czech Republic.

Languages

ENGLISH

Additional Information
Benefits

The fellow will be recruited for a minimum of 24 months to a maximum of 30 months, due to the demanding level of transferable skills training and outputs expected, the applicants are encouraged to apply for the maximum period possible. The candidates will be able to freely formulate their own research topics and choose the appropriate Host Organisation (HO), and secondment organisation (SO), including supervisors. Nevertheless, there must be a confirmation of the technical feasibility of the applicant’s proposal from the prospective supervisor (the template for endorsement can be found in the Guide for Applicants ).

MERIT fellows will be provided with an up to 30 months fully paid internationally recognised MSCA COFUND fellowship, employed by a research organisation located in the Central Bohemia region in the Czech Republic. The fellowships will include a mobility allowance, a family allowance (if applicable), travel allowance, research costs, and can provide a special needs allowance (a financial support for researchers with disabilities). The minimum gross salary (not including employer’s social contributions) is €3,188/person/month. In addition to this gross salary, the researchers are entitled to travel and research cost of €700 per month based on reimbursement of expenses.

The fellows will benefit from excellent training programmes in research and transferable skills and from other career development opportunities, as well as, interdisciplinary research options, intersectoral exposure through the secondments, and international opportunities to create partnership and networks.

The fellows will be supported in their research projects and in the achievement of their career development goals planned together with their supervisor. The programme is designed to welcome fellows in a family-friendly environment, offering support and guidance in this crucial career phase.

Eligibility criteria

• Eligibility form, to declare the applicant’s compliance with the mobility rule and research experience.
• Research proposal written in English, complete and uploaded to the MERIT online application system.
• Evidence of endorsment (print screen, PDF) of the e-mail confirming the technical feasibility of the applicant’s proposal from the prospective supervisor.
• The CV of the candidate written in English (5-page limit, extra pages will not be counted).
• Filled in Ethics Issues Table and, if applicable, Ethics self-assessment.
• The Secondment form.

Selection process

Admitted applications will be evaluated following a two-phase evaluation and selection process (written and oral interview). 

Additional comments

Secondments will be an imperative experience (temporary placement in academic or non-academic sector). At least one secondment is compulsory for each fellowship. It should be relevant, feasible, and beneficial for the researcher and in line with the project objectives. The duration of the secondment is from 2 to a maximum of 9 months (Full Time Equivalent, FTE). It can be carried out in one or more institutions in a single period or divided into shorter periods. Short visits and stays of less than 2 months are not counted as secondments. For more information about the secondments visit https://meritcb.eu/secondments/

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2024. For further information on the participating research groups, secondment organisations, evaluation and selection process, and detailed benefits, please visit our website www.meritcb.eu  and read carefully the Guide for Applicants .

• Online info session: March 12th at 14:00 hrs CET
• How to submit a competitive proposal: March 19th at 14:00 CET

You will find more information about both sessions and registration in the MERIT website www.meritcb.eu

Check this video to know why you should apply https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96FY-bKmGF0&list=PLwgDTg2vDPYLew1uHPy6qyE46oBdZhSdW

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Country

Czech Republic

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://meritcb.eu/

Contact

State/Province

Prague and Central Bohemia

Website

https://meritcb.eu/organisation/institute-of-biotechnology-of-the-czech-academy-of-sciences-ibt/

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED