PhD position in biophysical protein evolution

We offer a unique opportunity to explore the biophysical properties of proteins using an evolutionary perspective at the (IB)2  Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels (http://ibsquare.be/ ). Whereas the prediction of how a protein folds has recently been essentially solved, the study of protein dynamics and of the ambiguous behavior of proteins that switch between different shape is becoming increasingly important, as such features of proteins play a key role in crucial cellular functions. In this fundamental research project, with many potential industrial applications, the selected applicant will investigate the relationship between the sequence, structure and biophysical conservation of proteins for a range of (mostly micro)organisms that inhabit drastically different environments. You will use state-of-the-art statistical approaches to disentangle the footprint of common ancestry from the influence of the environment. The PhD candidate will be based in Brussels at the Bio2Byte group of the VUB (https://bio2byte.be/ ), with expertise in the prediction of protein properties from their sequence, and at the EEG (Ecological & Evolutionary Genomics) group of ULB (https://ebe.ulb.ac.be/ebe/Flot.html ), with expertise in genome assembly, comparative genomics and molecular systematics. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Danny Ionescu, a specialist in microbial ecological genomics at the IGB (Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries) in Berlin.