Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

• Salary Package: Level A, Step 6 (PhD or nearly completed) from AUD$91,991 - AUD$98,588 p.a., plus 17% employer's superannuation and annual leave loading
• Appointment Type:  Full-time, fixed term (2 years).
• Macquarie University (North Ryde) location

The Role                                                                                                       

The Department of Molecular Sciences is currently seeking a suitably qualified Postdoctoral Research Fellow join a multidisciplinary team working on ARC Discovery Project DP180102569 - Reverse Chemical Proteomics: Harnessing Yeast Display for Drug Discovery. This project aims to overcome a critical bottleneck in the drug discovery process by developing a technique that can rapidly identify the cellular protein targets of biologically active natural products. This project expects to provide fundamental biological and chemical insights into Australia's unique biodiversity that will facilitate the development of new therapeutic agents and agrochemicals based on leads provided by Nature.

About You

You will have completed a PhD in Molecular Biology or a closely related discipline. You will enjoy bringing impactful research outcomes and working effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary research team.

The successful applicant will work with Dr Andrew Piggott and Prof. Peter Karuso, to:

• Construct and validate yeast surface-displayed cDNA libraries from a range of organisms
• Optimise yeast surface display affinity selection procedures
• Use yeast surface display to identify the cellular targets of biologically active small molecules
• Design experiments to investigate the biological relevance of the targets identified

About Us

The Department of Molecular Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Engineering is a research intensive department of academics and students who study and teach chemistry and molecular cell sciences. The focus of our academics is at the exciting molecular science interfaces with chemistry, biology and materials. Our students gain cross-disciplinary perspectives while developing discipline specific skills in chemistry and biomolecular science. We apply this philosophy of studying “molecules to cells” to achieve a sustainable environment, understand health and disease, develop materials and advance new molecular technologies. Research and teaching strength in molecular science includes analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, cellular biology, medicinal chemistry, microbiology, molecular biology and genomics, synthetic biology, organic/inorganic synthesis, proteomics, protein chemistry, physical chemistry. Click here to find out more about the Department of Molecular Sciences.

To Apply

To be considered for this position, please apply online by submitting your cv and a separate cover letter that demonstrates how you meet the following selection criteria:

Essential

• A PhD in Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering or a closely related discipline
• Experience with cDNA library construction
• A strong track record of discipline-specific first-author publications
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team

Desirable

• Experience with a surface display technique (phage display, yeast display, etc.)
• Experience with flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting
• Experience supervising research students

Specific Role Enquiries: Dr Andrew Piggott, Senior Lecturer at andrew.piggott@mq.edu.au

General Enquiries: Anne Kumanan at anne.kumanan@mq.edu.au

Applications Close: Sunday, 24 March 2019 at 11:55pm AEST. Applications will need to be submitted via Macquarie University career site www.jobs.mq.edu.au by the closing date.