[ccp4bb] PhD positions in Synthetic and Structural Biology in the Max Planck Centre for Minimal Biology, Bristol UK

Dear All,

We are looking for highly motivated and ambitious individuals to progress our R&D programme on synthetic viral nanosystems (SVNs), to fill two PhD posts available: one in next-generation vaccines and one in novel genome engineering tools. The projects are in the frame of the BBSRC funded doctoral training programme of the Sout West (SWBio DTP) and underpinned by the European Research Council (ERC AdG DNA-DOCK) and the EPSRC Innovative Vaccine Manufacturing and Research Hub.

The posts advertised synergistically combine complementary expertise in the groups of Imre Berger (Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology), Christiane Schaffitzel (School of Biochemistry and Wellcome GW4 Cryo-EM Centre Bristol), Mark Dillingham (DNA Biology Unit, Bristol University Bristol) and Frederic Garzoni from Imophoron SARL, an award-winning vaccine innovator start-up at UnitDX Bristol.

The projects follow from recent discoveries (e.g. Synthetic self-assembling ADDomer platform for highly efficient vaccination by genetically encoded multiepitope display, Science Advances, 2019; MultiBac: Baculovirus-Mediated Multigene DNA Cargo Delivery in Insect and Mammalian Cells, Viruses 2019; Highly efficient baculovirus-mediated multigene delivery in primary cells. Nature Communications 2016) and aim to bring about a step-change in the application of SVNs to combat infectious and genetic disease.

The successful candidates should have a BSc, MSc or equivalent degree in synthetic biology, molecular biology, protein biochemistry or related fields and a strong interest in biodesign, protein engineering, biochemistry and structural biology. We are looking for a creative and ambitious person with good communication skills and keen to work on challenging projects.

The Max Planck Center for Minimal Biology is a joint initiative of the University of Bristol UK and the Max Planck Gesellschaft, Germany. The groups involved use synthetic biology, protein engineering, in vitro selection/evolution, cryo-electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography) to create new vaccines and advanced genome engineering tools.

The groups at Bristol have excellent access to state-of-the-art synthetic biology technologies including platforms for in vitro selection/evolution (Ribosome Display) and protein production (MultiBac). The in house EM facility is equipped with a microscopes including an Arctica/K2. Additionally, we have access to the Titan Krios microscopes and the X-ray beamlines at the nearby National Facility at Diamond/Harwell. Other facilities on the Bristol campus include microfluidics, high performance computing, high-field NMR and high-throughput crystallization Biosuite, mammalian facilities, biophysical platform and confocal microscopy in the Bristol BioSuite and Wolfson facilities.

Interested and excited? You can find out more about these vacancies here:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/imre-berger-7a0a6a50_addomer-synthetic-multiepitope-virus-like-activity-6595367002435649536-anJV

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6598170469470355456/

or by contacting Imre Berger: imre.berger@bristol.ac.uk
or Christiane Schaffitzel: christiane.berger-schaffitzel@bristol.ac.uk


Please apply online through:

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/addomer-synthetic-multiepitope-virus-like-particle-platform-for-next-generation-vaccines/?p108225
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/precision-genome-editing-using-modulators-of-dsdna-break-repair-pathways/?p114537

Kapil Gupta on behalf of 
Prof. Imre Berger PhD HDR FRSB
Founding Director, Max Planck Centre for Minimal Biology
Chair in Biochemistry and University Research Fellow
Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, ERC Investigator
Co-Director, Bristol Biodesign Institute BBI
Director, BrisSynBio Centre

School of Biochemistry,  Faculty of Life Sciences and
Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology and
BrisSynBio, an EPSRC/BBSRC Centre for Synthetic Biology
University of Bristol
1 Tankard's Close
Bristol  BS8 1TD
Tel: 0044 (0) 117 39 41857
Mobile: 0044 (0) 79 0720 8697

maxplanck-minimalbiology.bristol.ac.uk/
www.bris.ac.uk/biomedical-sciences/
www.bristol.ac.uk/research/institutes/biodesign/
www.bristol.ac.uk/brissynbio