Postdoctoral Training Fellow - X-Ray Crystallography

A Higher Scientific Officer (HSO) position is available in Dr Rob van Montfort’s Hit Discovery and Structural Design (HDSD) team within the CCDD, to support a collaboration with the ICR’s Centre for Protein Degradation (CPD) and University College London (UCL) aimed at developing novel small molecule-controlled molecular switches to modulate CAR-T cell activity based on induced protein degradation technology. We are seeking a highly motivated scientist with expertise in DNA construct design, cloning and mutagenesis, protein expression and purification, and with experience in biochemical and biophysical assays. The successful candidate will be responsible for the site-directed generation of multiple mutant variants of a protein of interest, followed by protein expression in E. coli and purification. Subsequently, the postholder will be responsible for the characterisation of the generated protein variants using biochemical and biophysical assays. The postholder will be an integral member of the HDSD team within the CCDD at the Sutton campus of the ICR, interacting closely with other protein production specialists, assay scientists and structural biologists. They will also be interacting closely with biologists specialised in CAR-T cells technology at UCL.

About you

The successful candidate must have at least a BSc in a biochemistry or related biological subject, and ideally an MSc or PhD. Experience and demonstrable skills in molecular biology, protein expression in E. coli and protein purification, as well as biochemical assays are essential. Demonstrable practical experience of biophysical techniques such as SPR and/or TSA would also be an advantage.

Department/Directorate Information

The Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery (CCDD), within the Division of Cancer Therapeutics, is a multidisciplinary 'bench to bedside' centre, comprising around 160 staff dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The CCDD’s exciting goal is to discover high quality small molecule drug candidates and to progress these to clinical trial. All the scientific disciplines are in place to make this possible, including medicinal chemistry, biology, structural biology, assay scientists, drug metabolism and clinical specialists. This is an exciting and fast-moving research setup and offers the opportunity to work within a multi-disciplinary environment using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment.

What we offer

• A dynamic and supportive research environment
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities
• Collaboration with leading researchers in the field
• Competitive salary and pension

We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact rob.vanmontfort@icr.ac.uk or yann-vai.lebihan@icr.ac.uk 

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