Position
Description:

The Toth lab at the Institute
for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research is seeking a highly motivated
postdoctoral fellow for an NIH-funded research program aimed at developing
designer proteases that selectively destroy active RAS (see Chen, Y. and Toth,
E.A., et al., 2021, Communications
Biology, 4, 299). The overall objective of the research program is
to develop general principles for engineering proteases that can control
signaling in cells, with the RAS family of proteins as our current
proof-of-principal target. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be involved in research
projects involving engineering of candidate RAS-specific proteases, analysis of
protease-substrate complexes, and analysis of the activity and effects of the
proteases in cell models.  The Postdoctoral
Fellow will be expected to independently design and apply molecular
biology, biochemical, and structural biology tools for the expression,
characterization, and structure determination of novel RAS-specific proteases. 

The successful candidate will
be able to generate purified recombinant RAS-specific proteases and RAS
proteins, characterize those proteins and their complexes, and determine the
structures of protease and protease-substrate complexes.  The individual will also analyze the
effectiveness of the RAS-specific proteases in controlling RAS signaling and
cell proliferation in cancer cell models harboring oncogenic RAS mutants using
established cell-based assay techniques. 
The individual will also provide
technical direction to laboratory staff, assist the PI in data management,
preparation of manuscripts, grant proposals, and facilitate operations of the
laboratory. This position is funded through March 2025.

Qualifications:

The position requires a Ph.D.
in biochemistry, molecular biology, or a closely related discipline.  Candidates who have practical experience in
molecular biology, protein chemistry and/or structural biology will be considered
with the highest priority.  The
successful candidate must be highly motivated with expertise in the fields of structural
biology or biochemistry with a focus on structure-function relationships.  A particular research focus and interest in in
structure determination by X-ray crystallography or cryoelectron microscopy is
preferred.  In particular, the individual
should have extensive experience in biochemistry as used in the cloning,
expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant proteins, crystallization
screening, protein structure determination, and refinement. Experience in
mammalian cell culture and cell-based assay techniques is preferred.

Salary:

Commensurate with qualifications

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