Research Associate

The role

A postdoctoral research position in de novo protein and enzyme design is available for 36 months in the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, supported by the BBSRC Grant BB/W003449/1, Creating and comprehending the circuitry of life: precise biomolecular design of multi-centre redox enzymes for a synthetic metabolism.  The project is a collaboration between Dr Ross Anderson, Prof Adrian Mulholland, Dr Tom Oliver, Dr Paul Curnow (University of Bristol), Prof Julea Butt (UEA), Dr Bruce Lichtenstein (Portsmouth) and Dr Amandine Marechal (UCL).

The multidisciplinary project aims to construct single and multi-centre redox and light harvesting proteins and enzymes, photocatalytic de novo enzymes, and artificial respiratory complexes, providing an unprecedented framework to better understand and exploit the exceptional properties of the natural electron and energy conducting machinery.

The postdoctoral research associate will work on designing soluble redox proteins and assemblies for electron transfer, light harvesting and catalysis, and will initially focus on the construction of discrete cofactor-binding modules to serve as a platform for more complex binary and chain-containing architectures. They will also work closely with other researchers on the project, combining expertise in membrane protein design, biomolecular simulation, chemical synthesis and spectroscopy towards the construction of artificial respiratory complexes and functional components for bionanotechnology.

Further details of the BBSRC grant can be found here: https://circuitsoflife.uk, and more information on Ross Anderson’s group can be found at: https://theandersonlab.com

What will you be doing?

You will work on the de novo design and experimental characterisation of soluble redox and light harvesting proteins and enzymes in the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, collaborating closely with the multidisciplinary consortium across four institutions. You will apply a modular, computational approach to design and assemble soluble single and multi-centre redox proteins and enzymes for long range electron and energy transfer, catalysis and broadband light harvesting. You will use computational tools to design functional modules (e.g. Rosetta, Molecular Dynamics, Continuum Electrostatics Calculations), standard molecular biology techniques to express and purify your designs, and an array of biophysical techniques to verify and study structure and function (e.g. visible/CD/fluorescence/NMR spectroscopies, protein electrochemistry, stopped flow spectrophotometry, X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM microscopy, mass spec).

You should apply if

This position would best suit a talented and motivated early career researcher with a PhD in Biochemistry or Chemistry, and, in particular, those with experience in de novo protein design or protein engineering using computational methods. Some or all of the following skills would be an advantage: experience running Molecular Dynamics simulations and/or Rosetta protein design software; demonstrated skills in molecular biology, protein expression/purification, and structural and biophysical protein analysis; knowledge of, or experience with, cofactor-containing proteins and enzymes; ability to communicate complex information clearly and accurately in English, both in written and oral forms; ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Informal enquiries should be made to Dr Ross Anderson, (ross.anderson@bristol.ac.uk) in the first instance.

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.

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