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Job Description

We are looking for an outstanding, highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow with an expertise in the chemoinformatics of enzyme catalysis and evolution to join the Thornton group at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK.   We will build our studies of enzyme function and evolution, incorporating knowledge of catalysis and enzyme structure. We have developed several algorithms to perform chemical searches for enzyme reactions and we wish to use these tools to further explore enzyme reactions and developing new approaches to enzyme and pathway design and catalysis.   The successful applicant will perform research into enzymes, considering

• Classification of enzyme reactions and the evolution of metabolic pathways
• Analysis of variants in enzymes and the disease phenotypes they produce
• Development of tools for reaction classification and transformation
• Conversion of an existing pipeline to be a robust user-friendly web service, which is automatically updated with the new data

The EBI is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and it is a world leading bioinformatics centre providing biological data to the scientific community with expertise in data storage, analysis and representation. EMBL-EBI provides freely available data from life science experiments, performs basic research in computational biology and offers an extensive user training programme, supporting researchers in academia and industry. We are part of EMBL, Europe's flagship laboratory for the life sciences. 

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate should have a PhD in cheminformatics/bioinformatics or a related field and should have the desire and the ability to learn and understand scientific work processes. In addition, the candidate is expected to have:

• Knowledge of enzyme catalysis and structure
• Expert understanding of chemical structures and reactions
• Technical expertise in processing and developing molecular/reaction analysis tools
• Programming experience with Java/C++, J2EE, web application and database management

Benefits

  EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation. We provide a dynamic, international working environment and have close ties with both the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

EMBL-EBI staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities, a free shuttle bus to Cambridge and other nearby centres, an active sports and social club and an attractive working environment set in 55 acres of parkland.

The initial contract is for a period of three years with the possibility of a fixed-term extension