MSCA PhD student in Biochemistry

The Department of Chemistry – BMC conducts research and education in analytical chemistry, biochemistry and organic chemistry. More than 100 people, including around 45 PhD students, work at the department. New employees and students are recruited from all over the world and English is the main working language. The department is located at the Biomedical Centre in Uppsala, which facilitates collaborations with research groups in biology, pharmacy, medicine and SciLifeLab and gives access to advanced infrastructure for experimental and theoretical studies. The international environment and good opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations enables PhD students at the department to participate in relevant research projects and prepare for an international research career.

Read more about the research at The Department of Chemistry – BMC at our website. 

The project is a part of a larger EU-funded doctoral network (SPIDoc’s, https://www.ms-spidoc.eu/). The purpose of the network is to advance virus-related structural biology, where a considerable challenge lies in that the proteins change between different conformations over their life time and that their dynamics are very important for the virus’s life cycle. Using mainly native mass spectrometry, ion mobility, imaging with X-ray free electron lasers, and molecular dynamics simulations, viral particles with be interrogated in the gas phase, that is, taken out of solution, which circumvents a number of difficulties faced in solution-based methods. The doctoral student will work in Erik Marklund’s research group, which uses computational biochemical methods to study the structure, dynamics, and interactions of biological macromolecules. A significant part of the group’s work concern native mass spectrometry and related techniques. The doctoral student’s research will revolve around how strong electric fields can be used to manipulate the proteins and how that can benefit the imaging experiments, as well as towards the network’s overarching goal to determine the structure and interactions of virus proteins. Because the position is connected to a larger network, collaboration with the other partners will be of great importance, with opportunities for experimental and theoretical work at their premises.

Duties
The main duties of PhD students are to devote themselves to their research studies, which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (not more than 20 % of full time). 

Requirements

• To be eligible for doctoral education, a basic higher education equivalent to at least 240 ECTS credits, including at least 60 ECTS credits at Master’s level, including an independent project equivalent to at least 15 credits, or has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way, more information about the general requirements can be found here.
• A person has special eligibility for a doctoral program in biochemistry if he/she has passed examinations in courses in biochemistry (or other subjects relevant to biochemistry) comprising a total of at least 120 higher education credits or the equivalent. The courses shall comprise at least 90 credits in chemistry, including at least 45 credits in biochemistry of which at least 15 credits shall consist of a project in biochemistry. More information about the subject specific requirements can be found here.
• Very good English proficiency in speech and writing.

Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities such as good collaborative skills, motivation and independence, as well as how the applicant through his/her experience and competence is judged to have the abilities necessary to develop within and acquire the doctoral education.

Additional qualifications
Since the position is funded by the Marie Skłodowska Curie Action (MSCA) from EU, there are specific eligibility requirements concerning mobility. Applicants must not have studied or worked in Sweden for more than 12 months during the past 36 months. Please see MSCA’s rules for doctoral networks for details. The doctoral student is also expected to pay extended visits at other partners within the network.

Knowledge within programming or computational chemistry methods such as molecular dynamics simulations will be considered merits..

Doctoral students are normally engaged for some teaching at undergraduate and graduate level. Previous experience from teaching/mentoring, even from environments outside the school/university, as well as other outreach activities may therefore be meritorious.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Erik Marklund, +46(0)184714562, erik.marklund@kemi.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 26 July 2024, UFV-PA 2024/2143.

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