Postdoc position, 2-years, Antimicrobial Drugs and Cell-Autonomous Immunity - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

Department of molecular biology

The department provides a vibrant interfaculty research environment and there is access to a wide range of state-of-the-art imaging, metabolomics, genomics and screening facilities

Background and description of work tasks

Almost every cell in our body has an intrinsic capacity to detect invading microbes and to respond to the threat by inducing a series of cellular defense responses. Yet, while this so-called cell-autonomous immunity may have a key role in providing protection against everyday encountered microbes, it is less effective against significant disease agents that have evolved measures to neutralize its action.

This projects aims to identify and characterize small chemical compounds that can counteract growth of the obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis either by activating cell-autonomous defense responses in infected cells or by repressing the pathogen’s ability to counteract these cellular defenses. The project is expected to provide deeper insights into mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction and to uncover starting points for the development of new host-directed or anti-virulence drugs.

Specific aims of the project include:

• The development and optimization of an experimental protocol for high-throughput small compound screening.
• The implementation of the screening and candidate validation.
• The characterization of the mode of action of validated candidate compounds

The work tasks include designing and performing experiments, presenting research results at conferences, and writing publications under supervision by the group leader.

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a University degree equivalent to a European University PhD degree in molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, or pharmacy (or equivalent fields) at the time of the recruitment. To be eligible you should have completed your PhD degree a maximum of three years before the end of the application period, unless special circumstances exist.

Candidates must have documented experience (including hands-on experience) in small compound screening, including experience with the development of cell-based assays and the implementation of the screening procedure. Previous experience in the field of host-pathogen interaction and/or the analysis of programmed cell death is a merit.

Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English and highly motivated. Because the project will be of collaborative nature, candidates need to be able to work productively not only independently, but also in a team. Excellent communication skills are required for interacting effectively with senior colleagues and peers, including colleagues from complementary research fields.

How to apply

The application should include:

• A personal cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position, how you can contribute to the project and in which direction you may want to develop it (no more than 2 A4 pages).
• A curriculum vitae that documents academic education and past and previous employments.
• Your publication list.
• A copy of the PhD certificate and other relevant degree certificates.
• A copy of doctoral thesis
• Names and contact details with e-mail addresses of two or three academic references.
• Other relevant documentation you wish to include in support of your application.

The application should be written in English or Swedish. You apply through our recruitment system. Log into the system and apply via the button at the bottom of the webpage. The deadline for application is 8 July 2019.

We look forward to your application!

More about us

The Sixt lab is part of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) and the Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), an interdisciplinary research center devoted to top quality research and novel applications in the field of microbiology.

You can find more information about us at www.mims.umu.se/groups/barbara-sixt; www.ucmr.umu.se. You find Information about The Department of Molecular Biology at www.umu.se/en/department-of-molecular-biology. For questions regarding the position, please contact the project supervisor: Barbara Sixt (barbara.sixt@umu.se).