Post Doc in GPCR Crystallography and Cryo-EM

3-year Post Doc in GPCR crystallography and cryo-EM at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The Receptor Structural Biology Group (Kastrup group) and Computational Receptor Biology Group (Gloriam group), Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen wish to employ a joint Post Doc in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) structural biology. The position is commencing 1 May 2020 or after agreement and lasts for 3 years.

The Research environment
The Kastrup group (drug.ku.dk/clusters/neuropro/) has a strong track record of producing receptor crystal structures (100 receptor structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank). The group has a strong international network with leading medicinal chemists and pharmacologists.

The Gloriam group (gloriamgroup.org) conducts computational drug design, tightly integrated with chemistry and pharmacology, and structure-function studies of GPCRs – one of the largest drug target families. The group also heads the GPCR field’s main database and web server, GPCRdb (www.GPCRdb.org) serving more than 4,000 monthly users.

In 2015, Kastrup and Gloriam set up a joint GPCR Structural Biology Group. The group currently comprises 1 Assistant Professor, 1 Post Doc and 1 PhD student. The group provides a strong and ambitious research environment and has recently published in e.g. Cell and Nature Methods.

The project
The Post Doc fellow will take part in an ambitious interdisciplinary project spanning virtual screening, pharmacology, chemistry, structural biology, and scientific database development. The project is supported by the Lundbeck Foundation (Ascending Investigator) and headed by Professor David Gloriam. The project focuses on probes/drugs with GPCR pathway-bias in human signaling and medicine.

The overall aim of the Post Doc project is to establish novel approaches to stabilize GPCRs and ease the generation of agonist and antagonist-bound structures using cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and crystallography. These approaches will be applied to determine GPCR receptor structures with target-selective and pathway-biased ligands to allow rational design of brain tracers and drugs.

GPCR structural biology requires comprehensive construct engineering to achieve optimal expression in insect cells as well as protein stability and homogeneity. The quality of the constructs will be evaluated based on the receptor yield and aggregate/monomer ratio (size-exclusion chromatography), as well as the thermostability (thermoshift assay). Crystallization trials will benefit from our new state-of-the-art Crystal Gryphon LCP robot capable of efficiently screening numerous construct-condition combinations. X-ray diffraction data will be collected at synchrotron facilities in Europe. Cryo-EM images will be collected at state-of-the-art national core facilities in Copenhagen or Aarhus (https://krios-denmark.ku.dk).

The Post Doc will manage and carry through the research project, participate in the education and guidance of students, and write scientific publications.

Qualification requirements
We are looking for a highly motivated and ambitious structural biologist.

Mandatory requirements

• A PhD degree within structural biology or related discipline
• Solid experience with expression and purification of membrane proteins
• Demonstrated ability to learn new methods and biological subjects
• Proficient communication skills and ability to work both independently and in teams
• Excellent English skills written and spoken

Additional meriting qualifications
Experience of, and skills in:

• G protein-coupled receptors
• Protein crystallography/cryo-EM
• Analysis of molecular structures and interactions

Place of employment
The place of employment is at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen (www.drug.ku.dk). We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and computational facilities.

Terms of employment
The employment as Post Doc is a full-time position for 3 years.

Starting date is 1 May 2020 or is after agreement.

Salary, pension and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Currently, the monthly salary starts at 34,360 DKK/approx. 4,590 Euro(October 2019-level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.

Non-Danish and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.

The position is covered by the “Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at the Universities” of June 28, 2013.

Questions

For further information about the post, please contact Professor Jette Sandholm Kastrup via jsk@sund.ku.dk or Professor David Gloriam via david.gloriam@sund.ku.dk.

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Application

Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

• Letter of motivation for application.
• CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position.
• A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do.
• A complete list of publications. If you have more than 15 articles, include a separate section marking of up to 5 most important articles.
• If relevant, documentation of additional research qualifications, incl. letter of recommendations.

Application deadline: 14 February 2020, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant.

You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/. 

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Interviews are expected to be held within a month after the application deadline.

University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

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Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.