Interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellow at EMBL and Yale University on interferometric superresolution microscopy for structural cell biology : Heidelberg

Job Description

This postdoctoral fellowship is based at two of the highest ranked scientific institutions in the world, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA (Bewersdorf group), and the European Molecular Biology Institute (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany (Ellenberg and Ries groups).
  The EMBL is one of the highest ranked scientific research organisations in the world. The Headquarters Laboratory is located in Heidelberg (Germany), with additional sites in Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Hinxton (UK) and Monterotondo (Italy).

Among the novel superresolution microscopy techniques developed over the last years and recognized by the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 4Pi single-molecule switching microscopy (4Pi-SMS), or ‘iPALM’, reaches the highest resolution. It employs interference of fluorescence emission to determine the position of single fluorophores with a precision of a few nanometers in all directions.   The first phase of this project will be based in the Bewersdorf group (Yale), where the postdoc will contribute to the further development of a powerful and stable implementation of 4Pi-SMS, with a focus on system integration and data analysis. 
The second phase consists of establishing 4Pi-SMS for structural cell biology applications at the EMBL and will be based in the Ries group. After setting up the 4Pi-SMS at the EMBL, the postdoc will use the instrument in close collaboration with the Ellenberg group to obtain structural information on intracellular molecular assemblies, such as chromatin, or chromatin associated complexes. The position will be funded through the EMBL. Funding for this position is secured for 4 years and includes a competitive stipend and social benefits. 
 

Qualifications and Experience

We are looking for a talented, highly motivated individual who works well independently as well as in a team. The candidate should have a background in biophysics, physics or engineering and has experience with optics, strong expertise in programming and an interest in biological applications of new optical technologies.