x 3

(Fixed Term)

Salary: £28,132-£36,661

Reference: RC03157

Closing date: 03 November 2014

We have 3 postdoctoral positions available in the laboratory of Professor Yorgo Modis in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge to study cell entry and innate immune recognition of enveloped RNA viruses.  These posts are funded by the Wellcome Trust.

We seek 3 highly motivated individuals to study the mechanisms of cell entry and innate immune recognition of enveloped RNA viruses from the Flaviviridae and/or Bunyaviridae families using a combination of biophysical and biochemical approaches.

You will have a PhD in the biological, biochemical or biomedical sciences, relevant research experience in molecular biology, protein biochemistry and eukaryotic cell culture, and at least one first-author research article in a major peer-reviewed journal.

You should also have research experience in macromolecular structure determination, particularly by X-ray crystallography or electron microscopy. Alternatively, research experience in high-resolution imaging by fluorescence light microcopy, in single-molecule approaches, in mass spectrometry, or in virological or immunological assays.

The overarching goal of the Modis lab's research program is to gain a mechanistic understanding at the molecular level of how important pathogens interact with their host cells during infection. We seek to understand: How do enveloped viruses assemble and recognize host cells? How do enveloped viruses deliver their genome into the cytoplasm? What are the evolutionary origins of the genes that drive virus entry? How are innate immune responses to viral nucleic acids generated, amplified and regulated? We employ a diverse set of complementary approaches including X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, solution biophysics, fluorescence microscopy and cell biological approaches to understand the mechanisms that underlie these processes in molecular-level detail. Our projects have important potential applications in global health.

The Modis Laboratory is part of the new University Research Unit within the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). It benefits from the unique scientific environment and infrastructure of the MRC-LMB, and from direct links to the Infectious Disease and Immunology community within the Department of Medicine.

Fixed-term: The funds for these posts are available until 30 September 2019 in the first instance, subject to successful completion of a probation period of up to 12 months.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit:

http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/3692.

This will take you to the role on the University?s Job Opportunities pages. There you will need to click on the 'Apply online' button and register an account with the University's Web Recruitment System (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Informal enquiries are welcomed, and should be directed to Professor Modis at yorgo.modis@yale.edu.

Please note the closing time for applications is 12pm on 3 November 2014. Applications received after this time will not be considered.

Please quote reference RC03157 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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