Postdoc scholarship in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cellular Biology
Linköping University (LiU) conducts world-leading, cross-disciplinary research in fields that include materials science, IT and life science technology. LiU is one of the largest universities in Sweden and today has 32 000 students and 4 000 employees. Read more at http://www.liu.se.
We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral scholar to join a research project aimed at investigating the therapeutic potential of thiophene-based ligands in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer´s disease and Parkinson’s disease. For more than two decades, thiophene-based ligands have been used to detect and study protein aggregates in cell systems, tissue samples and in vivo. By chemical alteration, the binding and fluorescent properties of the ligands can be modified, which enables studies of the heterogenous nature exhibited by protein deposits associated with, for example, Alzheimer’s disease. It is also possible to couple the thiophene-based ligands to molecules that are involed in pathways that take care of protein aggregates in the cells. The aim with this strategy is to use the ligands to guide the cellular degradation system to the protein aggregates and thereby facilitate their removal. This post doc project focuses on the development and implementation of models and methods to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach and thus identifying bifunctional molecules with potential therapeutic effects on protein aggregation diseases.
The successful candidate will pursue research in the research group of Peter Nilsson at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM). The successful candidate will develop and implement cell-based models to investigate the efficiency of bifunctional molecules, partly built from thiophene-based ligands, to degrade disease-associated protein aggregates. The work will combine basic cell maintenance, plating and protein aggregation seeding protocols with cellular characterization methods such as Western blot and immunocytochemistry.
The research will include:
Development of cell models that can be used to the study degradation of protein aggregates.
Use the developed cell models to evaluate the potential of bifunctional molecules in facilitiating the degradation of protein aggregates.
The postdoc is also expected to actively participate in the group’s scientific environment, contribute to student supervision, and collaborate with national and international partners.
Skills and qualifications
We are looking for applicants with a PhD in Biomedicine, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or a related field, with expertise in working with cell models.
The following qualifications are considered particularly meritorious:
Experience in working with cell models for protein aggregation.
Experience in performing Western blot and immunocytochemistry.
Good ability to communicate in spoken and written English.
Ability to work independently and take initiative in research.
Good collaborative skills and ability to work in an interdisciplinary team.
Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities and suitability.The candidate we are looking for is at the beginning of the career as an independent researcher with a flexible and persistent approach to the project.
Specific Requirements
For being eligible you need to be non-Swedish citizen with a PhD awarded at a university outside Sweden. Your doctoral degree should have been awarded in the last three years, exceptions can be made for fellows who have special circumstances such as parental leave, sickness or similar.
Scholarships may not consist solely of research collaboration with a mutual exchange of methodological and technical expertise but must also contain a well-defined training element.
Benefits
This development postdoctoral fellow position is for up to two years. The total time for receiving a scholarship from Linköping University can never exceed two years.
You will be given a tax-free scholarship of 29 000 SEK/month paid in a lumpsum for each 12 month period. Additional funding can be available to participate in conferences.
Note, scholarships will not give any pension rights, sick or maternity pay and other work-related benefits. More information here.
If you have any questions on the terms, please contact the Scholarship group at IFM, stipendium@ifm.liu.se
Application
The following documents (in pdf-format) must be submitted when applying for a scholarship:
Cover letter, max 1 page, describing your background, research interests and what makes you interested in the fellowship.
Qualification plan, max 1 page, describing clearly what qualifications you want to obtain during the scholarship period.
CV, max 4 pages, including contact details to three reference persons.
Full publication list.
Copy of passport, PhD diploma, and MSc transcripts with grades
Anna Nilsen