Postdoctoral researcher in phage-bacteria interactions

Description of the workplace

You will be based at the medical faculty in Lund. The group for molecular enzymology is located at the Biomedical Center (BMC) at Lund University and is led by senior lecturer Vasili Hauryliuk.

You will have good access to state-of-the-art facilities both within the medical, science and engineering faculties and access to state-of-the-art scientific facilities in Scandinavia and Europe.

Project description

Molecular mechanisms of antiphage defense

Bacteria are constantly predated by viruses, bacteriophages. To resist predation, bacteria employ numerous antiphage defence systems, with the most famous being CRISPR-Cas. In our lab we discover new systems with bioinformatics, validate them in microbiological assays and then characterise the mechanisms of defence on the molecular level. Currently the lab is working on many (>10) novel, as-yet-unpublished antiphage defence systems. The focus of this project would be to uncover their molecular workings through integrated structure-functional approach combining phage microbiology, biochemistry and structural biology. The project is supervised by Vasili Hauryliuk (PI) as well as Gemma Atkinson (co-PI, structural bioinformatics, Lund University) and Pontus Gourdon (co-PI, cryo-EM, Lund University and University of Copenhagen).

Mets et al. Cell Host Microbe 2024

Ernits et al. 2023

Zhang et al. Nature 2022

Kurata et al. Mol. Cell 2021

Work duties and areas of responsibilities

The tasks as a postdoctoral researcher mainly involve conducting research. Teaching may be part of the work duties, but no more than a fifth of the working time. Within the framework of the employment, there must be an opportunity for three weeks of university pedagogical training.

Description of the AMBER project context 

This post-doctoral position is part of the EU cofund research project AMBER, Advanced Multiscale Biological imaging using European Research infrastructures, will address scientific and sectoral gaps in biological imaging ranging from molecular, through cellular, to tissue, organ and organism levels of organisation, and is coordinated by LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science.

AMBER is funded by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) COFUND scheme.

Around 10 postdocs will be recruited in the Third call 2024, with each fellowship lasting 36 months.

AMBER has six core partners: Lund University/MAX IV, Sweden, the European Spallation Source (ESS), Sweden, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), France, the International Institute of Molecular Mechanisms and Machines, (IMOL), Poland, and the Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, United Kingdom.

Your work may include clinical and biomedical projects. It may also include technique development work aimed at combining imaging techniques and data analysis to provide a more integrated picture of life processes in the context of health and disease. To be a postdoc fellow at the AMBER programme you will get unprecedented medical, biological, and methodological capabilities, with a profound potential impact for Europe’s next generation of research and researchers. When you have completed the AMBER programme you will be extraordinarily well equipped to further your career in academia, at infrastructures, in the health and MedTech sectors, and beyond.

For more information about the total announced post-doctoral positions within in the AMBER co-fund project please visit euraxess.se

The interviews will start in June 2025. For more information about AMBER, application and evaluation process etc please visit: ambercofund.eu

Qualifications and assessment grounds

Minimum requirements are:

candidate needs to have a maximum 8 years after a doctoral degree (PhD), as required by the project Grant Agreement signed with the European Commission, at least one original publication in a peer-reviewed journal, a background in the relevant methods, a complete application package submitted through the AMBER portal (including CV and detailed research plan), and finally, strict compliance with the MSCA mobility rule that the researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host organization's country for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline.

The position also requires

 The successful applicant should hold a doctoral degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology or a related subject. A publication record in international journals Proficiency in spoken and written English Experience in standard molecular biology techniques, such as molecular cloning and immunoblotting Competence in at least one (but preferably more) of the key approaches to be used in this interdisciplinary project: i) phage microbiology with a focus on antiphage defence systems, ii) biochemistry and iii) structural biology, specifically either cryo-EM or structural bioinformatics Personal skills are of importance. It is crucial that you are structured in your work and can work independently and have good social skills.

 Additional qualifications for the position are:
• Experience in protein synthesis research

Basis of assessment
This is a qualifying position primarily focused on research. The appointment is intended as an initial step in the career and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their scientific merits and potential as a researcher.
When hiring a postdoctoral fellow, the following must form the basis for assessment:
• Good ability to develop and carry out research of good quality
• Independent thinking and ability to drive own research in the field
• Good cooperation skills

Instructions on how to apply

For more information and documents/templates/europass link, please visit https://www.ambercofund.eu/for-applicants.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure that you upload all the required documents specified below i-ix.

If you are interested in applying for more than one position (maximum 3) you must be prepared to make a full application for each individual position.

Applications shall be written in English and all documents shall be in pdf format.

1. i) A Curriculum Vitae (europass format). Your CV shall be exported to a PDF file that you use in your application. ii) A detailed research plan including any foreseen secondments (candidates can suggest more than the mandated one, they can also suggest their own secondments), schools and conferences as well as a templated budget plan. (as concise as possible, recommended about 3-5 pages, but at an absolute maximum 10 pages. The research plan should include a half page of summary/abstract.

Additional texts to include in the PDF are:

iii) Letter of Commitment from any additional secondment partners the candidate wishes to bring onboard.

iv) Evidence of English proficiency (minimum CEFR B22, also checked at interview). v) A draft Individual Career Development Plan (ICDP). vi) Two reference letters.

vii) Any additional documents to support the application.

viii) Ethical questionnaire (HE ethics checklist + research ethics commitment)

In addition, the application will require:

ix) Any candidate can apply for maximum of 3 positions. You must apply for each individual position. A list with order of preference of positions should be sent to the AMBER management. amber@linxs.s

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