Postdoctoral Research Assistant - UOD961

The School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee is a world-class academic institution with a reputation for the excellence of its research, its high quality teaching and student experience, and the strong impact of its activities outside academia. With 900 staff from over 60 countries worldwide the School provides a multi-national, collegiate and diverse environment with state-of-the-art laboratory, technology and teaching facilities.

We are recruiting for an exceptional individual to join us as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join an exciting interdisciplinary team dedicated to developing an innovate new class of small molecules termed Phosphatase Targeting Chimeras (PhosTACs). The fellow will work between the labs of Sapkota (MRC-PPU, School of Life Sciences) and Saurin (School of Medicine), and in close collaboration with a chemist in the Ciulli lab (CeTPD, School of Life Sciences) who will develop PhosTACs for testing. This exciting interdisciplinary project is funded by a leading pharmaceutical company based in the United States.

The principle of PhosTACs is similar to that of PROTACs, which are a class of heterobifunctional small molecules that can selectively degrade target proteins by inducing their proximity to a ubiquitin ligase. In the case of PhosTACs, we aim to develop heterobifunctional drugs that induce the proximity of phospho-proteins to a phosphatase, thereby instigating targeted dephosphorylation. If successful, the PhosTACs approach could revolutionise our ability to modulate signalling cascades controlled by protein phosphorylation, thus potentially offering an important new strategy to treat diseases.

This is a unique opportunity to gain experience in world-leading, collaborative and cutting-edge research in one of the hottest areas of modern translational chemical biology and drug discovery. The successful candidate would also be part of an early-stage academia-industry partnership that has exciting prospects for the future.

The position is fixed-term for 24 months, with renewal dependent on further funding.

Who we’re looking for:

• PhD with an outstanding track record and at least one first authored publication in an internationally recognised peer-reviewed journal.
• Strong background in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and signal transduction, with expertise in protein chemistry and reversible protein phosphorylation desirable.
• Capable of working in a diverse team, but able to plan and work independently.
• Excellent communication skills and proficiency in English.

The web links detail research in the Sapkota (https://sites.dundee.ac.uk/sapkota-lab/) and Saurin (https://www.saurinlab.com/) labs, and Ciulli (https://www.lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/groups/alessio-ciulli).

The Sapkota lab is based in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit within School of Life Sciences, and the Saurin lab is based at the Department of Cellular Medicine within School of Medicine, both at Dundee University. Both are world’s leading centres for studying the role of phosphorylation in human health and disease.

The diversity of our staff and students helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for undergraduate, postgraduate and distance learning. Family friendly policies, staff networks for BME, Disabled and LGBT staff, membership of Athena SWAN, the ECU Race Equality Charter and Stonewall as well a full range of disability services, create an enjoyable and inclusive place to work.

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