Researcher/Assistant Professor in Cryogenic Electron Microscopy at the M4I, Maastricht University

We seek a new colleague to strengthen and develop new research directions in cryo-EM for structural biology, in particular – but not exclusive – in situ cellular cryogenic electron tomography. The goal for this researcher is to develop an own research line while consolidating and complementing the cryo-EM activities initialized by our teams. Our teams consist of a mix of academic investigators and (industrial) engineers.

We aim to understand how gene products or proteins work within their cellular environment in health and disease. Our institute houses a state of the art cryo-Light Microscopy/Electron Microscopy correlative workflow from cellular localization, milling with focused ion beam (FIB-SEM), down to cryo-electron tomography, subvolume averaging and image processing to study how these nano-machines work under native conditions.

Our biology research focuses on unraveling, controlling and tempering the pathogenicity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis at a. molecular level. The Institute is also interested in adding knowledge about other pathogen infections applying in situ structural biology to understand the nano-machines involved in the infection process within its native context in the host cell. The Institute, consisting of a Mass Spectrometry Imaging division and a Nanoscopy division, has a strong interest in technology and method development, exemplified by its involvement in the development of new machines for multi-modal imaging, sample preparation and vitrification, phase plates and detectors.

Next to the research, teaching Bachelor and Master students will be an important part of the job. You will be involved in the educational dedication of the University. Therefore, we will give you the opportunity to obtain a University Teaching Qualification in case you do not have it yet.

If you want to know more about our research, please check these publications from our lab:

Understanding the invisible hands of sample preparation for cryo-EM.
Nat Methods. 2021 May;18(5):463-471 Weissenberger et al

SARS-CoV-2 productively infects human gut enterocytes
Science (2020), 369 (6499), 50-54 Lamers et al

Cryo-EM structures from sub-nl volumes using pin-printing and jet vitrification
Nature Comm (2020), 11, 1, 9 Ravelli et al

Fibril structure of amyloid-beta(1-42) by cryo-electron microscopy
Science (2017) 358:116-118 Gremer et al