1-2 Postdoctoral positions in Computational Biochemistry

Updated: about 2 years ago
Deadline: 07 Mar 2022

Published: 2022-01-20

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around SEK 8 billion.

Department of Chemistry – BMC conducts research and education in analytical chemistry, biochemistry and organic chemistry. More than 100 people work at the department. New employees and students are recruited from all over the world and English is the main working language. The department is located at the Biomedical Centre in Uppsala, which facilitates collaborations with research groups in biology, pharmacy, medicine and SciLifeLab and gives access to advanced infrastructure for experimental and theoretical studies. You can find more information about us here.

The Kamerlin group seeks highly-motivated candidates with a strong background in computational chemistry and/or computational biology to fulfill a Post-Doc position in our team. We are an international and interdisciplinary team of dedicated scientists who come from different backgrounds to study biochemical problems such as enzyme evolution, and structure-function-dynamics relationships in biomolecular systems, as well as fundamental problems in physical organic chemistry, using a range of advanced computational tools. Examples of current systems / projects of interest include studying the role of loop dynamics in protein evolution, allosteric regulation of GTPases, protein-DNA recognition, and the design of new enzymes for water decontamination, plastics degradation and natural product synthesis. Where relevant to solving problems of interest to us, we also engage in methodology development. These positions are funded by a range of sources including the Swedish Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The work is centered on the use of computational tools to understand and guide the evolution of new enzyme functions, with a particular focus on biocatalytic applications. However, the focus of each project can be adjusted to fit the expertise of the successful candidate. More details about our team, and our research interests, can be found on the lab website: http://www.kamerlinlab.com .

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University

Duties
This is a full-time research position that also includes mentorship of junior researchers. The position will include international travel to conferences and meetings with collaborators, when the circumstances allow. From a scientific perspective, this position will involve computational integration of simulation and experimental data using a range of molecular simulation tools, including both conventional and enhanced molecular dynamics simulations, empirical valence bond and QM/MM simulations, free energy calculations, as well as structural bioinformatics tools. You are encouraged to take responsibility for the execution of your project and to contribute creatively to our team’s research program.

Requirements
PhD degree in a STEM discipline* of relevance to the position (as evaluated by the employer), with strong abilities in computational chemistry and/or computational biology, with experience in one or more of the techniques used in the Kamerlin lab (see Duties, above), or a foreign degree equivalent to the PhD degree. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Those who have obtained a PhD degree three years prior to the application deadline are primarily considered for the employment. The starting point of the three-year frame period is the application deadline. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

  • Either: (1) experience in modeling enzyme reaction mechanisms and/or enzyme function-dynamics relationships, in particular in the context of understanding enzyme evolution or for biocatalytic applications, or (2) experience in using enhanced sampling approaches (such as replica exchange or metadynamics) to study biomolecular systems, with particular preference given to studies of the role of conformational dynamics in enzyme engineering or evolution.
  • Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, as well as publications of a high scientific standard (assessed according to the DORA principles, see https://sfdora.org/read/). Good collaborative skills, such as working with others or in a team.
  • Emphasis will also be placed on personal skills. In this case, we place particular weight on the ability to work as part of a team and a positive attitude towards mobility. The applicant will be responsible for a part of a larger project, and the ability to work independently and to take responsibility will be required.

Note that attention will be paid to not just overall scientific achievements, but scientific achievements relative to career stage and years of research experience.

All qualifying requirements will be assessed by interview as well as personal references.

Additional qualifications
We are interested in computational evaluation and evolution of laboratory engineered enzymes, and experience in this field is desirable.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of two years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Lynn Kamerlin, [email protected].

Please submit your application by 7 mars 2022, UFV-PA 2022/184.

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Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.


Placement: Department of Chemistry - BMC

Type of employment: Full time , Temporary position longer than 6 months

Pay: Fixed salary

Number of positions: 2

Working hours: 100%

Town: Uppsala

County: Uppsala län

Country: Sweden

Union representative: Seko Universitetsklubben [email protected]
ST/TCO [email protected]
Saco-rådet [email protected]

Number of reference: UFV-PA 2022/184

Last application date: 2022-03-07


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