BioNMR scientist School of Molecular and Cellular Biology

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Salary: Grade 7 (£33,797– £40,322 p.a.). Due to funding limitations it is

unlikely an appointment will be made above £39,152.

Reference: FBSAS1043

Available on a fixed-term basis for 2 years (external funding).

We will consider job share and flexible working arrangements.

Are you a self-motivated postdoctoral scientist with a passion for teaching NMR methods, with experience in NMR sample preparation, data accquisition and processing? Do you want to work within a network of world-class research facilities, supporting a broad range of research?

We are seeking an experienced, creative post-doctoral scientist to join the biomolecular nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy team within the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory, part of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology and Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds. Your role will be to attract and support new users into bioNMR from across the University and beyond – including nationally and internationally, via our membership of the Instruct-ERIC European infrastructures consortium. An outstanding and enthusiastic communicator and collaborator, with highly developed people skills, you will have a gift for explaining the power of bioNMR to non-experts from bioscience, physics, biomedical or chemical biology backgrounds. Your role will entail working across the NMR and protein production and biophysical characterisation facilities, with both facility and academic staff, to provide training and advice on all aspects of bioNMR including sample preparation / optimisation, NMR data acquisition and data analysis. In addition, you will assist in the day-to-day operation of a suite of state-of-the-art, cryoprobe-equipped Bruker NMR spectrometers operating at 600, 750 and 950 MHz.

You should have a PhD and demonstrable experience in NMR sample preparation (including stable-isotope labelling), spectrometer setup, and acquiring and analysing NMR data on diverse biomolecular systems. Exceptional interpersonal, communication and networking skills are of primary importance for this role. You should also have a passion for studying biological and biomedical processes.

The University of Leeds and the Faculty of Biological Sciences are committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offer a range of family friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN (the national body that promotes gender equality in higher education), and the Faculty of Biological Sciences was awarded a Silver award in 2020.  We are proud to be an inclusive Faculty that values all staff, and are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our employees. Our  Athena  SWAN  webpage  provides more information.

 

What does the role entail?

 

As a NMR scientist your main duties will be to:

• Promote the technique of bioNMR as a powerful research tool in order to attract new users from across the University and from external academic and industrial partners, including giving presentations to a range of audiences;
• Assist novice and experienced users in developing new bioNMR projects, from sample preparation through to data analysis;
• Design and implement accessible, high-quality training programmes that enable users to work towards independent operation of NMR spectrometers and analysis of data;
• Work as part of the wider research facilities team within the Faculty of Biological Sciences to integrate NMR with other techniques in addressing users’ complex biological and biomedical research problems;
• Prepare and acquire data on NMR samples on behalf users, both internal and external;
• Establish links with research groups within and outside of the University, and promote interactions with industrial partners;
• Together with colleagues in the NMR facility, to implement and optimise novel experiments and workflows for NMR spectroscopy with new and cutting-edge equipment;
• Contribute to the supervision of students and mentoring junior researchers where appropriate;
• Keep up to date with technology relevant to biomolecular NMR science (e.g. through literature, attendance of international meetings, visiting collaborating laboratories, and attending training courses);
• Proactively support the recovery of the facility’s costs through supporting  grant applications and assisting with the management of the facility;
• Communicate research results through publications, presentations and other recognised forms of output;
• Ensure that quality assurance criteria are applied, liaising with service engineers and company representatives as required;
• To make a significant and sustained contribution to the research environment within the Astbury BioStructure Laboratory.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the post.

What will you bring to the role? 

As an NMR Scientist you will have:

• A PhD or equivalent experience in Structural Biology, Biophysics, Biochemistry or Chemical Biology, including significant use of protein NMR methods;
• Exceptional people skills, with a passion for engagement and dissemination with both expert and non-expert potential users and lay audiences;
• Demonstrable ability to train in a 1:1 or small group setting;
• Broad understanding of modern biological NMR approaches and how they can be applied to understanding diverse biological systems, including (but not limited to) characterization of ligand binding, protein-protein interactions, protein dynamics and large protein systems;
• Familiarity with protein labelling and purification for biological NMR, including ¹⁵N/¹³C labelling, deuteration and selective methyl labelling;
• Familiarity with modern Bruker NMR spectrometers;
• Experience of independent NMR experiment set-up and data acquisition, and producing NMR data of publication quality;
• Farmiliarity with bioNMR data processing and analysis using common software e.g. TopSpin, NMRPipe/Draw, CCPN Analysis etc;
• High level of numeracy, including statistical analysis and experimental design;
• Familiarity with Linux- and macOS-based computational environments;
• Excellent communications skills with the ability to correspond and communicate with a wide range of people at all levels of experience and seniority, in a wide range of formats including written and oral presentations;
• A proven ability to work well both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team;
• A strong commitment to your own continuous professional development;
• Good organisational, planning and self-management skills, with the ability to support a range of different work streams/projects simultaneously, understand the links between them, and retain a clear focus on outcomes/deadlines;

You may also have:

• Experience in applying NMR to challenging and dynamic biomolecular systems;
• Experience of using NMR data alongside / in conjunction with data from other structural biology and biophysical techniques to address complex biological questions;
• Knowledge/experience of NMR-based methods for drug discovery or chemical biology applications (e.g. NMR-based fragment screening);
• Familiarity with NMR automation systems and software e.g. SampleJet, IconNMR;
• An in-depth knowledge of how NMR spectrometers work, and the different experimental approaches that can be performed.

How to apply 

You can apply for this role online; more guidance can be found on our How to Apply information page. Applications should be submitted by 23.59 (UK time) on the advertised closing date.

Your application should include:

• A supporting statement providing evidence to support each requirement listed on the ‘What will you bring to the role’ section of the Candidate Brief (no more than two sides of A4, minimum font size 11);
• An academic curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications.

Contact information

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Prof. Alex Breeze, Professor of Biomolecular NMR

Email: a.l.breeze@leeds.ac.uk

Dr. Anastasia Zhuravleva, Lecturer

Email: a.zhuravleva@leeds.ac.uk

Please note: If you are not a British or Irish citizen, from 1 January 2021 you will require permission to work in the UK. This will normally be in the form of a visa but, if you are an EEA/Swiss citizen and resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, this may be your passport or status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Additional information 

Find out more about the Faculty of Biological Sciences and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Find out more about our Research and associated facilities.

Working at Leeds

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Leeds area on our Working at Leeds information page.

Candidates with disabilities

Information for candidates with disabilities, impairments or health conditions, including requesting alternative formats, can be found on our Accessibility information page or by getting in touch with us at disclosure@leeds.ac.uk.

Criminal record information

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

A criminal record check is not required for this position. However, all applicants will be required to declare if they have any ‘unspent’ criminal offences, including those pending.

Any offer of appointment will be in accordance with our Criminal Records policy. You can find out more about required checks and declarations in our Criminal Records information page.