Postdoctoral Researcher
Job ID: 22539
Division: Physical Biosciences
Date Opened: 1/5/2009

Summary: A postdoctoral position is immediately available to study structure and function of macromolecular complexes and enzymes using X-ray crystallographic methods. This position is joint between the Center for Protein Folding Machinery (www.proteinfoldingcenter.org) and the Joint BioEnergy Institute (www.jbei.org). Robotic hardware for performing crystallization trials and imaging results are available. Crystals will be characterized and data collected using the beamline resources of the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology at the Advanced Light Source.

The biological systems to be studied are:

• Type-II chaperonins responsible for the refolding of unfolded proteins in archeal and mammalian cells.
• Glycosyl transferases responsible for the synthesis of hemicellulose in plants.
• Novel glycosyl hydrolases that are able to breakdown cellulosic material for biofuels production.

Duties: Using robotic hardware to perform screens for crystallization conditions. Optimization of crystallization conditions. Biophysical characterization of protein samples using standard techniques, such as dynamic light scattering. Characterization of crystals using the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology beamlines at the Advanced Light Source. Collection and analysis of diffraction data, model building and structure refinement. Extensive email and verbal interaction with other researchers.

Qualifications: Ph.D. or equivalent in a scientific discipline, preferably structural biology, biology, or chemistry. Demonstrated experience of scientific research using crystallographic methods. Experience with crystallization methods. Solid interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team environment are critical. Ability to communicate with a broad range of researchers.

Note that this is a one-year appointment with renewal based on performance and continued funding.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a world leader in science and engineering research, with 11 Nobel Prize recipients over the past 75 years, and 59 present members of the National Academy of Sciences. LBNL conducts unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines and hosts four national user facilities. AA/ EEO employer committed to the development of a safe and diverse workforce. Learn more at http://www.lbl.gov.

For more information about JBEI visit: http://www.jbei.org/

To apply: visit http://cjo.lbl.gov/ and search for the job number 22539 or visit: