SCIENCE-JOBS-DE
PhD positions in the area of Basic Biomedical Sciences OR Protein Bioinformatics. (Auckland, New Zealand)
We offer PhD projects, to be filled immediately, due to confidentiality these cannot be outlined in detail: I) a bioinformatics based project (modelling and comparing protein structures, protein-protein interaction), ii) a project that is laboratory based (mammalian cell culture and/or yeast-based laboratory work); and/or iii) a project that is a combination of the above. As a PhD student in our team, you are expected to be passionate about science, be self-motivated and willing to work hard, and eager to continuously learn and make new discoveries. In return you will receive excellent training and be part of a team where PhD students have obtained prestigious awards and positions, such as a postdoc position at the National Institutes of Health (USA), and winning the first price in student oral presentations which is a free trip to the USA to attend a conference and visit research institutions. As another bonus, you will be working in the beautiful country New Zealand, w!
ith mild weather, only a few minutes away from Auckland, beaches, nature and wildlife.
We are the world-leading laboratory in deciphering the large regulatory network controlling the protein kinase Gcn2. Gcn2 is involved in many biological functions such as coping with nutrient stress, oxidative stress, memory formation, immune system, feeding behaviour, viral defence, regulating protein synthesis, and more. Not surprisingly, Gcn2 has been associated with diseases/disorders, such as Cancer, Alzheimer’s. Little is known so far about how Gcn2 is controlled in the cell and how Gcn2 associated disease/disorders can be treated. We take advantage of the fact that the Gcn2 system is conserved from humans to yeast, and we use baker’s yeast as model to better understand how Gcn2 function is controlled, and we conduct cell culture based research. Yeast is amenable to many techniques in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry (protein-protein interactions, enzyme assays), bioinformatics, to cell biology. Your project will cover many of these area!
s, giving you the unprecedented opportunity to learn a large array of techniques, while making new discoveries that will help find new approaches to cure e.g. cancer. In addition, you will have the opportunity to interact with our long-standing high-calibre international collaborators (USA, Europe, Brazil, India), and maybe even visit them!
To be eligible you must have an MSc or BSc(hons) in Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or related subject. You should be knowledgeable about molecular biology. For project i) you must have at least basic knowledge of and enjoy protein bioinformatics (protein structure modelling, alignments, pymol, etc). For project ii) you must have at least solid laboratory experience in cell culture work. Otherwise, expertise in working with proteins, protein purification, PCR, RNA, baker’s yeast, and/or mammalian cell cultures, is a plus, but not mandatory as long as you are willing to work hard to quickly acquire these techniques. Your MSc or BSc(hons) degree must be top class (preferably over 80%) so that you are successful in attracting a student scholarship. The scholarship is sufficient to cover basic living expenses and tuition fees. For more information on our research see www.sattlegger-lab.webs.com.
A complete application contains a cover letter outlining your motivation and your expertise relevant to this work, which of the above projects you are predominantly – or not at all - interested in, when you can start the earliest, a detailed CV including % mark obtained in MSc, BSc(hons) and/or BSc, and copies of university certificates and transcripts. Include the grading scheme if different to that of New Zealand. You need to supply at least 3 academic references for us to contact via email. Email your application to e.sattlegger@massey.ac.nz, with ‘PhD-POSITION-2014’ in the subject line, after February 15. The first short-list will be generated March 1, and thereafter until a suitable candidate has been found. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Your application should not exceed 5 MB. If you are awaiting the final mark for your academic degree, you are welcome to apply, but state this in your cover letter.
Dr. Evelyn Sattlegger
E.Sattlegger@massey.ac.nz
Massey University
Auckland, New Zealand