Job: Post-Doctoral Fellow in Biochemistry at the ILL

26/01/2016

The Soft Matter Science and Support (SMSS) group is responsible for activities within the Partnership for Soft Condensed Matter – a scientific and technical platform supporting ambitious large-scale soft matter research projects related to nanomaterials, environmental and energy sciences, biotechnology and related fields – and the ILL chemistry support laboratories. The SMSS group interacts strongly with the Large Scale Structures (LSS) group, which comprises a range of instruments designed to carry out studies on the structure of matter on a scale of one to hundreds of nanometres. The range of science covered is very broad, from polymer and colloid science through structural molecular biology to materials science and magnetic phenomena www.ill.fr/lss.

Working within the SMSS group and within the SINE2020 Deuteration WP , you will be involved in the:

• Selection of appropriate organisms/cell cultures for growth in deuterated media and production of specific deuterated lipid species as well as of other components of membranes (sterols, gangliosides, etc.)
• Development of procedures for lipid extraction, purification and separation from bio-mass produced in the ILL Deuteration Lab (D-Lab)
• Analytical testing of compound identification and purity
• Participation in physico-chemical and structural characterisation work.

A PhD student is currently working on the extraction and characterisation of lipid mixtures from yeast cultures produced in the D-Lab. The project is being run in collaboration with both European and Grenoble-based laboratories.
These activities are of interest for neutron scattering techniques used for the structural and dynamical characterisation of biomembranes.

Qualifications and experience:

PhD in biochemistry, analytical chemistry or physical chemistry.
We are particularly interested in highly motivated candidates with experience in chromatographic techniques, cell cultures and biological membrane components.
Experience in methods for chemical identification, such as NMR or Mass Spectrometry, would be appreciated.

The post represents an excellent opportunity for a young scientist to develop expertise, broaden his/her experience and interact with leading scientists from around the world.

Language skills:

As an international research centre, we are particularly keen to ensure that we also attract applicants from outside France. You must have a sound knowledge of English and be willing to learn French (a language course will be paid for by the ILL). Knowledge of German would be an advantage.

Notes:

Post-Doctoral contract of 18 months. Only candidates holding a PhD obtained less than 2 years ago are eligible for post-doctoral positions. Further information can be obtained by contacting the head of the SMSS and LSS groups: Dr. Giovanna Fragneto (do not send your application to this address), +33(0)4.76.20.70.62 or via www.ill.eu.

Benefits:

Generous company benefits (expatriation allowance), relocation assistance and language courses may be offered for you and your spouse (for more information, please consult our employment conditions).

How to apply:

Please submit your application with a list of publications and the name of 3 references (including one from your present work place) on-line, no later than 22/02/2016, via our web site: http://www.ill.eu/careers (vacancy reference: 16/03).
The interviews will take place in March 2016.