SCIENCE-JOBS-DE

Ph.D. candidate Max Planck Research Group (Bonn)

The center of advanced european studies and research (caesar) in Bonn, Germany, is an Institute of the Max Planck Society dedicated to the Neurosciences, Cell Biology, and Biophysics. The

Max Planck Research Group “Structural Dynamics of Proteins”

of Dr. Elmar Behrmann is looking for

Ph.D. candidate (m/f) - Reference: FF-PhD-tube 2017
(background in structural biology, biochemistry or biophysics)
starting now, and open until a suitable candidate is found

to join a concerted research effort to uncover the molecular mechanism of membrane-associated proteins by functional cryo-electron microscopy.

Project description
Your main task within the concerted effort will be to apply a nanotemplate recently developed in our lab for structural studies of a membrane-associated GTPase. Ideally, you will also adapt existing instrumentation to allow application of physical queues (such as light or electric-fields) to the sample prior to freeze-plunging in order to create ‘time-resolved’ samples uncovering the structures of transient intermediate states.

Who are we looking for
Candidates must have a M.Sc. degree in a relevant field. Successful candidates will have proven experience in overexpressing proteins, optimally membrane-associated GTPases, and their purification. Prior exposure to structural biology - irrespective if protein crystallography, NMR, molecular modeling or cryo-EM - is a strong benefit. Moreover, successful candidates will have proven experience in adapting sophisticated instrumentation to their needs, and/or experience in photo-uncaging experiments.
We are looking for a candidate with a keen interest in understanding the structural mechanisms in neurobiology, and how these molecular events affect neuronal networks. Candidates should be self-motivated, able and willing to learn new techniques, and not afraid of working with computers and high-end microscopes. Moreover, candidates must be willing and able to work together with the in-house workshop for carrying out required modifications to a freeze-plunger. Caesar seeks to increase the number of female scientists and encourages them to apply. Handicapped persons with comparable qualifications receive preferential status.

What do we offer
We offer a fixed-term contract for 3 years including social benefits, with the possibility of limited extension if required to conclude the project. You will work in a young and dynamic environment, embedded in the scientific community of the Max Planck Society and the universities of Bonn and Cologne. Caesar is part of a cluster for neuroscience in the Bonn-Cologne region, comprising the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and two Max Planck Institutes. The Institute hosts the International Max Planck Research School for Brain & Behavior and is involved in the Bonn International Graduate School of Neuroscience.

Highly qualified candidates all over the world are invited to submit their application at our job portal: https://www.caesar.de/en/joining-caesar/phd-students/
Caesar is certified according to the audit berufundfamilie.

Rita Repschläger
jobs@caesar.de
Forschungszentrum caesar
Bonn

Ansprechpartner: Dr. Elmar Behrmann, elmar.behrmann@caesar.de