Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) within Structural Biology of Enzymatic Acne Treatment

The Department of   Chemistry is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project structural biology of enzymatic acne treatment The scholarship is full-time for two years with access 1 June 2025 or by agreement. The application should be submitted by the deadline 13 February 2025.

Departmental specific information

The Department of Chemistry is one of the largest departments within the Faculty of Science and Technology with approximately 220 employees and strong and expanding research. The Department has four major research areas: Biological Chemistry, IBEAM, Organic Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier who discovered CRISPR-Cas9 at Umeå University. 

The Department of Chemistry has an outstanding infrastructure for structural biology with national facilities in NMR spectroscopy and cryo electron microscopy together with state-of-the-art equipment for x-ray crystallography.

The scholarship holder is welcomed to the  integrated structural biology (ISB) community in Umeå. ISB  is a collaborative environment consisting of 19 groups (and more than 100 participants) that meet regularly for seminars and joint research activities (www.biostruct.umu.se).  Umeå university has a vibrant postdoctoral community called the “Umeå Postdoc Society” and the society welcomes new members to regular carrier promoting activities (umeapostdocsociety.se). The research in the group of Magnus Wolf-Watz is aimed at understanding how protein structure and dynamics contributes to the function in, bacterial infectivity, biotechnology and basic enzymology. For more information please visit the home page www.biostruct.umu.se/principal-investigators/magnus-wolf-watz. 

Project description

Acne is a one of the most prevalent human skin diseases and affects hundreds of millions of individuals all over the world. Due to the formation of a resilient biofilm by the causative microbial agent in acne, Cutibacterium acnes, the disease can be difficult to treat with antibiotics. In a ground-breaking study by our collaborator, a novel and secreted biofilm degrading enzyme was identified from a bacterium that compete with C. acnes in the niche of the pilosebaceous unit (hair follicles). The enzyme is denoted biofilm matrix degrading enzyme or BmdE and has evolved to function in the anaerobic and lipid rich environment of the pilosebaceous unit.

We now have an opening for a two-year postdoctoral scholarship in structural biology to take part in exciting research that aims to contribute to the development of BmdE into a novel bio-pharmaceutical for acne treatment. The project is in collaboration with the company Vakona that is situated by the campus at Umeå University. We are searching for outstanding candidates with expertise in any of the main structural biology techniques (NMR spectroscopy, x-ray crystallography or single particle cryo EM). The scholarship holder will work on structure determinations of BmdE in its various functional states including presence of DNA and metal ions. Protein production and functional assays including degradation of C. acnes biofilms is an integral part of the project

The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to:

• Determine structures of BmdE and its individual domains in various functional  states
• Learn new structural biology techniques depending on the background and wishes of the candidate
• Quantify BmdE activity both in vitro and in biofilms
• Work in a collaborative and international environment

Qualifications

To qualify as a postdoctoral scholarship holder, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the decision about scholarship recipient.

Priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree before that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.

Doctoral degree should be within liquid state NMR spectroscopy, single particle cryoEM or x-ray crystallographic structure determinations of biological macromolecules.

Additional requirements are: The candidate must have experience in protein production and biochemical characterization of proteins and preferably enzymatic assays. Peer reviewed research article(s) in the areas are of particular importance.

The works is of collaborative nature and we search candidates that like to take responsibility, are strongly driven, motivated and enjoys to collaborate across disciplines.

Good skills in both written and spoken English is a requirement. 

Application

The application should be written in English or Swedish, and attached documents should be in Word or PDF format. The application should be registered via Umeå University’s e-recruitment system Varbi and submitted by the deadline 13 February 2025.

A full application should include:

• Cover letter in which you state why you want to join our lab to work on the project and why your background is suitable (max 2 pages)
• Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list,
• Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
• Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
• Copy of doctoral thesis and relevant articles.
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.
• Contact information to two persons willing to act as references.

Why you should join;

• Innovative Research: Contribute to cutting-edge research that aims to develop novel therapy for acne treatment.
• Professional Growth: Access to state-of-the-art facilities in structural biology, funding for conference participation, and professional development for instance through Umeå PostDoc Society.
• Collaborative Environment: Work in a dynamic and supportive team with ongoing collaborations with leading groups in medicine and structural biology.
• Quality of Life: Enjoy the vibrant cultural scene and beautiful natural surroundings of Umeå.

We look forward to receiving your application!