Missions

The candidate mission will combine structural biology, biophysical analysis, microbial genetics and fluorescence microscopy to study the interaction of LysM domains with synthetic peptidoglycan fragments and characterize protein partners required for subcellular localization of LysM proteins during cell growth and division.

Activities

- Protein production and purification
- Crystallisation / X-ray Crystallography
- CryoEM, grid preparation, data collection and structure resolution
- Protein/protein and protein/ligand Interaction studies, using Microscale thermophoresis, Biolayer interferometry
- Chromosomal mutations in Enterococcus faecalis
- Fluorescens microscopy

Skills

We are actively seeking candidates with a Ph.D. in biochemistry or structural biology with experience in protein expression and purification. Ideally, candidates will have experience in cryoEM or X-ray crystallography.
Qualifications:
- Strong Research and Laboratory Skills
- Analytical Skills and proficiency in Data Analysis
- Excellent Communication skills, both written and verbal (english)
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively
- PhD in a relevant field such as Structural Biology, Biochemistry, or Molecular Biology

Work Context

The AFMB lab is a dynamic, multinational, and inclusive environment. We prioritize scientific career development and emphasize the quality of life within our laboratory. We boast state-of-the-art structural biology facilities, including protein production and purification facilities, radioactivity facilities for biochemical experiments, X-ray facilities, and a cryo-EM facility equipped with a state-of-the-art 200 kV TEM, Falcon 4i direct electron detector, and Selectris X imaging filter. Our laboratory is located at the Luminy campus, adjacent to the national park of les calanques and the vibrant city of Marseille.

The University of Sheffield has been consistently ranked in the top 100 of the world's universities. Biosciences at Sheffield was rated 4th in the UK for the quality of research in the last Research Excellence Framework (2021). Our university builds teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. The PDRA will work in the School of Biosciences which has over 130 academic members of staff working on pathogens, health and medicine, food security ageing, energy, and mitigating the biodiversity crisis (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences). The University of Sheffield offers state of the art equipment and facilities critical for this project (Microscopy, X-ray crystallography, macromolecular interaction suite).

The contract is for a period of two and a half years and is funded by the ANR project PEPLYS.

Constraints and risks

The candidate will be mainly working in Marseille, with collaborative visits to Sheffield where the work involving molecular genetics and fluorescence microscopy will be carried out.