PhD-position in Medicinal Chemistry within the Industrial Doctoral School - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

New medical countermeasures for neurotoxicity caused by nerve agents and pesticides

The focus of the PhD project is to the design and synthesis of new organic molecules that contribute to the long-term goal of developing improved drug candidates (medical countermeasures) and new concepts for treatment of intoxications caused by chemical warfare and pesticides. The PhD student position is part of the Industrial Graduate School (IDS) at Umeå University which aims at increasing the collaboration between Umeå University, companies and public organizations. The application deadline is 2018-06-11.

Description
The PhD project contains two parts, where the first part is to design and synthesize new molecules that can restore the function of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase that has been inhibited by nerve agents and pesticides. The research will build on existing molecules developed in our group that have been shown to have promising properties. The new antidotes will differ from existing drugs in two important aspects; they should be active in the central nervous system and they should be effective regardless of which nerve agent that caused the intoxication. Medical antidotes of today act peripherally and their efficacy depend on highly on which chemical that inhibited acetylcholinesterase.

The second part of the PhD project aims to investigate the possibility to introduce a complementary treatment that reduce the production of the signal substance acetylcholine. Here, the PhD student will design and synthesize molecules that affect the enzyme cholinacetyltransferase (ChAT) to decrease production of acetylcholine. This is a research area, which less is explored; thus, the first aim is to discover molecules that prevent the function of ChAT, which can be used as chemical probes to investigate the concept.

The PhD student will be employed at the Department of Chemistry, Umeå University. Two external partners will be engaged in the project, the Swedish Defense Research Institute and the Swedish Armed Forces.

Umeå University Industrial Doctoral School for research and innovation
The Industrial Doctoral School (IDS) is a multidisciplinary research school where the projects are based on collaborations between Umeå University and external organizations. The PhD students in IDS form an interdisciplinary group that, in addition to each scientific specialization, is given a tailor-made course package providing a solid basis for future work within research and development. A PhD position in IDS also includes a three-month internship at the external organizations for each doctoral student.

Admission requirements
You are required to have completed a second-cycle level degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at second-cycle level, or have an equivalent education from abroad, or equivalent qualifications.

To fulfil the specific entry requirements to be admitted for studies at third-cycle level in chemistry, you are required to have completed first-cycle courses of at least 90 ECTS credits within the field of chemistry, or in a subject considered to be directly relevant for the specialization in question. Of those 90 ECTS credits, at least 15 ECTS credits shall have been acquired at second-cycle level within the specialization in question, or an equivalent subject.

This project will be carried out within a research group that uses multidisciplinary approaches to address medicinal chemistry research questions. You should have a genuine interest in organic- and medicinal chemistry and be prepared to take on scientific and technical challenges. Very good command of the English language, both written and spoken, is required. The applicant must have competence of organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry, as well as training and/or experience in organic synthesis. Experience of biochemical evaluation, X-ray crystallography and computational chemistry is a merit. You should be creative, with good interpersonal and collaborative skills, power of initiative, and a high degree of independence.

About the position
The position is intended to result in a doctoral degree and the main task of the PhD student is to pursue their doctoral studies which include both participation in research and postgraduate courses. The position will include three-month internship at the external partner and other duties can include teaching and other departmental work (up to a maximum of 20%). Employment is limited to four years full-time, or up to five years when including other duties part time. Salary is set in accordance with the established salary ladder for PhD position.

Application
A complete application should contain the following documents:

• A cover letter including a description of your research interests, your reasons to apply for the position, and your contact information
• A curriculum vitae, including a list of BSc and/or MSc theses and, if applicable, research publications
• Copies of degree certificates, including documentation of completed academic courses and obtained grades
• Electronic copy of BSc and/or MSc thesis
• Contact information of at least two reference persons

The application can be written in Swedish or English. Applications must be submitted via our recruiting system. The last day to apply is 2018-06-11. For more information please contact Prof. Anna Linusson, phone: 090-7866890, email: anna.linusson@umu.se

About us
Information about the Department of Chemistry, see: www.chemstry.umu.se/english Information about the postgraduate education can be found on the Faculty of Science and Technology website: http://www.teknat.umu.se/english/doctoral-studies/. For more information about working at Umeå University, https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/