PhD Candidate in Functional Metabolomics on Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

4 May 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Radboud University

Research Field

Physics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

26 May 2023 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

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

No

Offer Description

Are you looking for a PhD project at the interface of microbiology, genetics and biochemistry and do you like bioinformatics? As a PhD candidate, you will aim to discover the function of enzymes and metabolites in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using genetic screens and untargeted metabolomics. This way, we can help develop tuberculosis drugs with new mechanisms which we urgently need.

Tuberculosis (TB) has plagued humans for thousands of years and remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide today. Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), a bacterial pathogen that infects about a quarter of the world's population. Although the frontline drugs are effective, drug resistance is emerging as a major threat to global TB control. TB drugs with new mechanisms of action are thus urgently needed. One rich and untapped source of new drug targets is the sizeable part of the Mtb genome that is uncharacterised. A large number of these genes are expected to encode enzymes, which generally represent druggable targets. However, without a known function, these potential drug targets are beyond reach for target‐based drug discovery. In this NWO-funded project, you will apply a new type of functional genomics screen that aims to annotate genes by globally mapping their interaction with Mtb metabolites. Building on the experience in our group, you will combine metabolite fractionation with state-of-the-art untargeted LC-MS metabolomics and CRISPRi gene vulnerability screens. After extensive computational analysis, hits from these screens will be validated using a suite of experimental techniques (e.g. NMR, heterologous protein expression, protein purification, and metabolic profiling of Mtb mutants). Opportunities for collaboration exist within the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES), the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM) and the department of Medical Microbiology of the Radboud university medical center.

You will communicate your results at national and international meetings and in scientific journals. As a member of the Microbiology cluster, you will be expected to contribute 10% of your working time to teaching in the BSc Biology programme or the MSc Microbiology specialisation track. All PhD candidates at RIBES participate in the RIBES Graduate School and have the opportunity to receive training, develop their personal and professional skills, and prepare for their future career.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

• You hold a Master’s degree in biology, molecular life sciences or related discipline.
• You have experience with computational analysis.
• Experience with (untargeted) LC-MS metabolomics, genetic screens, protein expression and purification is a plus, but not required.
• You have a good command of oral and written English.

Additional Information
Benefits

• It concerns an employment for 1.0 FTE.
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,541 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,247 in the fourth year ((salary scale P ).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services . Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions . You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Selection process

You can apply until 26 May 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Robert Jansen. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV including the contact details of two references.

The first round of interviews will take place on Thursday, 15 June. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

Additional comments

For questions about the position, please contact Robert Jansen, Assistant Professor at [email protected] .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/327391/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Radboud University

Country

Netherlands

City

Nijmegen

Postal Code

6525 XZ

Street

Houtlaan 4

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/327391/phd-candidate-in-functional-metabolomic…

Contact

City

Nijmegen

Website

http://www.ru.nl/

Street

Houtlaan 4

Postal Code

6525 XZ

STATUS: EXPIRED