| Employer: |
University of Minnesota |
| Job Number: |
4019386 |
| Date Posted: |
12/19/2016 |
| Application Deadline: |
Open Until Filled |
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Job Description
A postdoc position is available in the Schmidt-Dannert laboratory within the Department of Biochemistry and the BioTechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota, United States. Applications are welcomed from highly motivated, innovative and energetic individuals to work on a new cross-disciplinary DARPA funded project on genetically programmable biofabrication of living materials. The successful candidate in this position will engage in the design and microbial production of building blocks that generate innovative materials with programmable patterns, architectures and emergent biological functions. The project will involve research at the intersections of biological and (bio)chemical engineering, synthetic biology and material sciences. The project is a collaborative project with the laboratory of Dr. Aksan in the U of M’s Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and is part of larger efforts in the Schmidt-Dannert’s group on engineering self-assembling systems for biotechnological applications. The salary is about 48,000 USD per year and the start date for the project is expected in April of 2017. Contracts may be renewed annually, based upon performance.
Primary Job Responsibilities:
• Engineering and assembly of genetic constructs using state-of-the-art molecular biology approaches
• Microbial strain engineering (gene deletion, protein secretion and gene modification), using non-traditional microbial systems
• Cultivation of engineered microbial strains for living materials production on a medium- to large-scale
• Protein purification and biochemical characterization
• Biophysical characterization of living materials by e.g. TEM, AFM, mass spec and fluorescence microscopy
• Development of strong collaborative relationships across labs and University departments
• Publication of results in peer reviewed journals
• Training other team members (undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs)
Qualifications and Experience:
• PhD (within the last 3 years) in synthetic biology, bioengineering, microbiology, molecular biology, biophysics, structural biology or related fields (essential)
• Proven track record of first author publications in high impact peer reviewed journals (essential)
• Experience in genetic engineering/synthetic biology using Gram positive bacterial hosts (essential)
• Experience in protein purification and characterization of supramolecular complexes (essential)
• Experience in microbial strain engineering (essential/desirable)
• Experience in protein design, engineering and biophysical methods e.g. TEM, SEM, AFM, mass spectrometry (essential/desirable)
• Be highly organized and able to follow a strict timetable of milestones and deliverables (essential)
• Be able to work as part of a team and independently (essential)
• Be creative and have the drive and motivation to innovate and expand the project (essential)
• Have excellent oral and written skills, and be able to write and publish first author papers (essential)
Environment:
The University of Minnesota was founded in 1851 and is one of the largest universities in the United States, and is one of the most prestigious research universities in the world. The campus is located in the heart of the Minneapolis-St Paul area which is rich in cultural events and natural attractions. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunities employer. |
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