Junior Fellow – Nanocarriers for Gene Delivery

Junior Fellow – Nanocarriers for Gene Delivery

Job Reference: Ref.07.21.38

Employer: International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)

Location: Braga, Portugal

Group/Unit: Nanodevices Research Group

Number of Vacancies: 1

Employment Type: Full time

Contract Duration: 6 months

Open Date for Applications: August 4th, 2021

Closing Date for Applications: August 18th, 2021, 23h00m (Lisbon Time)

Key words: #lipid-DNA nanoparticles, #microfluidic devices, #lipid self-assembly, #transfection

Overview

The Nanodevices Research Group is dedicated to the development of integrated solutions for the biomedical, food and environment areas. We are looking for a qualified Junior Fellow to join our team in the research of lipid-DNA nanoparticle assembly using microfluidic devices, and on their interactions with in vitro cell systems, under the project MicrofluidicGeneTherapy, co-funded by FCT and the ERDF through COMPETE2020.

Project specifications: This project is co-funded by FCT and the ERDF through COMPETE2020.

(a) Name of the project: Microfluidic Layer-by-layer Assembly of Cationic Liposome - Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery (MicrofluidicGeneTherapy).

(b) Reference number: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-032520

(c) Scientific Area: Physical-Chemistry, Microfluidics and Gene Delivery

(d) Description: The overall goal of this project is to develop a new way of making cationic liposome – DNA nanoparticles (CL-DNA NPs, also known as lipoplexes) that are highly efficient for gene therapy applications. For this, we use microfluidic devices as a means of directing the self-assembly between liposomes and DNA, controlling the aggregation, and making hierarchical multilayered particles. The relevance of this is that such scheme will allow us to optimize the composition of each layer to address the biological barriers that are limiting the use of such particles in therapeutic applications.

The successful candidate is expected to perform the microfluidic preparation of the particles under the guidance of Dr. Bruno Silva, and optimize the formulation towards the efficient transfection of cells in vitro under stationary and flow conditions. The particles will be structurally characterized with advanced methods such as small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (FCCS) under the guidance of Dr. Bruno Silva and Dr. Pieter De Beule.

Job Duties

The job duties will be the following:

1.     Microfluidic self-assembly and physical-chemical characterization of lipid-DNA nanoparticles of controlled size;

2.     Design lipid-DNA nanoparticles of potential high therapeutic efficiency, and in-vitro characterization of the interactions with model cell lines and transfection efficiency.

Mandatory Qualifications

Education

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field. 

Technical Skills

• Knowledge and hands-on experience in:
  • Lipid self-assembly;
  • Lipid-DNA complexes (i.e. lipoplexes);
  • Use of microfluidic devices to manipulate size of lipidic nanosystems;
  • In vitro transfection efficiency assays

The call describes the requirements in terms of qualifications and professional experience deemed appropriate for the position. If a candidate has additional qualifications and professional experience, they can only be recruited at the job category and profile specified.

Applications that do not meet these conditions will not be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Besides the mandatory qualifications above, hands-on experience with small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and fluorescence spectroscopy methods is an advantage.

Personal Skills

• “Hands-on” approach together with a high commitment in respecting working deadlines;
• Problem Solving ability;
• Ability to work independently and as team player;
• Good communication skills.

Supervision: The work plan will be developed at the INL under the scientific guidance of Dr. Bruno Silva and Dr. Pieter De Beule. The successful candidate will be integrated in the Nanodevices Research Group.

Selection Committee:

The selection of candidates will be carried out by a Selection Committee consisting of the following persons:

1)             Dr. Bruno Silva – Scientific Supervisor;

2)             Dr. Diana Pinho – Research Fellow;

3)             Dr. Pieter De Beule – Staff Researcher;

4)     Rita Milhazes - Human Resources

Duration of the contract

The total duration of the employment contract shall be 6 months. The expected starting date is September 2021.

General Eligibility conditions, required qualifications and expertise:

Candidates must comply with the following requirements:

How to Apply

The application must be in English and include the following mandatory documents:

a)     Cover letter;

b)     Curriculum Vitae;

c)      Academic and/or Professional diplomas;

d)     At least one recommendation letter;

e)     Recognition of academic degrees (only academic degrees awarded by non-Portuguese higher education institutions)*.

* The selected candidate(s) with an academic degree granted by a non-Portuguese higher education institution must present, for hiring purposes, the certificate of recognition of that degree(s), issued by the Portuguese Directorate General for Higher Education or by a Portuguese Public Higher Education Institution. Please consult the website of the Portuguese Directorate General for Higher Education: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en .

At the application stage, the supporting document(s) mentioned in paragraph (d) [Recognition of academic degrees (only academic degrees awarded by non-Portuguese higher education institutions)], may be replaced by a Declaration of Honour (Template)  from the candidate. In this case, the application of the candidate will be provisionally accepted provided that the following conditions shall be satisfied:

Online application instructions:

Important note:

Incomplete applications including the failure to provide mandatory documents or providing inaccurate information will result in the application not being considered.

How the Selection Process works

A. Applications eligibility check

This stage will be carried out on the basis of the mandatory requirements, education, experience and technical skills defined for the job, as well as the validation of the mandatory documents. Only candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will move forward to the next stage.

B. CV Assessment

The Selection Committee will evaluate the eligible applications based on their CV and other submitted documents and the suitability for the position, and shall focus on the relevance, quality and up-to-date of the following items:

• Scientific and Technological Production (‘STP’);
• Applied and Practice-based Research Activities (‘RA’);
• Activities  related to the Dissemination of Knowledge (‘DK’);
• Activities related to the Management of Science, Technology and Innovation programmes (‘MSTI’).

The research experience will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• STP (65%): Academic Qualifications (AQ) – 25%; Scientific Profile (SP) – 25%; Research Quality (RQ) – 10%; RTI Funding (RF) – 5%;
• RA (15%): Development, operation and maintenance of scientific facilities “instrumentation and/or equipment”  (DOM) – 2%; Conferences, symposia and scientific cooperation activities (CSS) - 3%; Professional activities (PA) – 5%; Mobility and Interdisciplinarity (MI) – 5%;
• DK (5%): Transfer to other areas of society (TS) – 3%; Promotion of the public understanding of science (PPUS) – 2%;
• MSTI (5%): Laboratory facilities, management of research groups (LFE) – 5%.

This criteria will have a total valuation of 90%. The minimum threshold for this stage is 60%.

The top four ranked candidates will be shortlisted for interview, provided however that they pass the threshold mentioned above.

C. Interview(s)

The interview(s) may be done in different formats: video recording, online or onsite.

The question based interview will evaluate the match between the candidate’s profile and the requirements for the position, including the technical and personal skills. To better support this stage, the candidate may be requested to prepare a short presentation.

This criterion will have a total valuation of 10%.

D.Assessment

The Selection Committee will draw up the minutes of the R&S process in which candidates will be ranked according to their evaluation scores.

E. Nomination

The selected candidate will be nominated and formally offered the position, including the disclosure of the contractual conditions. 

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary;
• Tax benefits and other Diplomatic privileges;
• Private health insurance;
• Family allowances (according to family situation);
• Free nursery service at INL premises (subject to availability);
• Support for education fees of dependent children;
• Relocation support;
• 30 working days of annual leave.

Financial Benefits

INL offers an attractive financial package appropriate to an international research organization. Due to INL special legal status as intergovernmental organization, financial benefits are exempt for national income tax. Apart from the salary, INL may offer, depending on the personal situation, additional allowances and benefits for families and non-residents.

Additional Information

Applicable legal and regulatory framework, taking into consideration the international status of the Organisation

The contract will be subject to the INL’s Staff Rules, as amended from time to time, as well as to all other relevant instructions issued by the Organisation. For this purpose, a copy of the Staff Rules shall be provided. The contract may also be supplemented by the terms and conditions of the Financing Contract between the Organisation and the FCT governing the implementation of the FCT Project.

Disputes between the Organisation and the Employed Member of the Personnel shall be settled in accordance with the INL´s Staff Rules.

Notification of results

Each candidate notified via email of the result of their individual application. If the first candidate refuses the offer, the Human Resources will send an offer to the second candidate on the ranking, and so on until the vacancy is filled.

We highly value the interest shown from applicants wishing to become a part of the INL experience. It is important for us to maintain good communications with candidates. No matter the outcome of the application, we always send the applicant an answer. 

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Principle

INL follows a non-discrimination and equal access principle, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of and duties based on any possible discriminatory issues.

The advertisement deadline may be extended at any time without previous notice in order to improve the suitability and effectiveness of the recruitment process.

About INL

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory – INL (http://www.inl.int ), is the first and only Intergovernmental Organisation in the world entirely focused on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

It was founded under an international legal framework to perform interdisciplinary research, deploy and communicate nanotechnology for the benefit of society. INL aims to be a recognised leading global nanotechnology innovation hub.