Post-doctoral fellow in biophysical chemistry of concentrated antibody solutions (PA2023/726)

Job description

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are engineered proteins that can serve as substitute antibodies in the immune system. Due to their high potential in e.g. cancer treatment they attract enormous attention from pharmaceutical industry. At the same time the formulation of high concentration injectable mAb biologics is very challenging as it is often severely limited due to high turbidity and/or high viscosity. An international consortium of leading groups has thus been established in order to perform a concerted research effort under the umbrella of the LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science (https://www.linxs.se/integrative-pharmacology-and-drug-discovery). The LINXS antibody research program combines experimental and theoretical/simulation efforts in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST and Novartis. Our research group at the Division of Physical Chemistry is part of this consortium, and the advertised position will allow a postdoctoral fellow to join this international effort.

In this project we aim at establishing a colloid-inspired approach to understand the origin of this behaviour and to predict it from low concentration data and mAb molecular structure. The postdoc we are looking for will apply different static and dynamic scattering techniques (based on light and x-rays) on mAb samples, including static and dynamic light scattering (SLS/DLS) and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), and analyse the data. (S)he will also perform microrheology experiments, establish mAb phase/state diagrams and closely work together with simulators and theoreticians in a concerted effort towards a better understanding of the complex solution behaviour of mAbs.

The project will be conducted at the University of Lund, Sweden, at the Division of Physical Chemistry.

Required qualifications:

• PhD in Soft Matter Physics, Biophysics, Physical or Biophysical Chemistry or similar, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications, with a strong biophysical/biochemical background. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.
• Experience in protein sample preparation and handling
• Experience in the application of scattering techniques to soft and biological matter
• Experience in scattering data analysis
• Documented very good oral and written proficiency in English

Other qualifications that will be considered positively in the assessment

• Experience in the formulation and characterization of concentrated protein (antibody) solutions
• Theoretical knowledge on protein-protein interactions

Terms of employment: This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the recently concluded agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO dated 2021-11-19 and valid from the 1st of February 2022. The working language is English.

For more information please contact:

Anna Stradner, e-mail: anna.stradner@fkem1.lu.se

Peter Schurtenberger, e-mail: peter.schurtenberger@fkem1.lu.se

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

résumé/CV, including a list of publications, a general description of past research and future research interests (no more than three pages), and addressing the qualification requirements and questions posed during the online application procedure, contact information of at least two references, copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered.