Postdoctoral Associate Opening (Cryo-EM) Full-time

Full Job Description
POSTDOCTORAL POSITION is available immediately under the direction of Dr. Liu in the Laboratory of Transcription and Gene Regulation at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota. (The earliest starting date is June 2022.)

About the Institute
The Hormel Institute, a biomedical research center of the University of Minnesota, was established in 1942 and has an excellent reputation and a long history of conducting world-class medical research. The Institute’s research success was instrumental in contributing to a second major expansion of its research facilities and includes an additional new state-of-the-art laboratory building that opened in January 2016. The Hormel Institute offers its
research scientists complete access to state-of-the- art cutting edge equipment that includes a cryo-electron microscope (Titan Krios and Tecnai G2 Spirit Biotwin); FACS cell sorter; confocal microscopy; flow cytometry; protein crystallography robotics and diffraction system; nano-HPLC-AB SCIEX triple TOF 5600 mass spectrometry; Leica tissue processor, embedder and microtome; real-time PCR instrumentation; a Blue Gene/L and 3 racks of Linux GPU supercomputers for computational biology and bioinformatics; spectrophotometers; and Western blot imagers.

About the Lab
My laboratory focuses on studying how transcription happens and how it is regulated by various transcription factors. Transcription is the first and central step of gene expression, in which the DNA template is copied into RNA by the RNA polymerase (RNAP), and defects in transcription and its regulation can lead to a variety of severe human diseases. The long-term goal is to provide a structural basis for understanding the mechanisms of transcription initiation, elongation and termination by the bacterial RNAP. My research lab will study the transition of transcription from initiation to termination phases, the regulation of different transcription stages by various factors and the mechanisms by which RNAP translocates with nucleotide addition. These objectives will be achieved by structural determination of the RNAP in complex with functionally associated factors and appropriate DNA or RNA substrates captured at various steps in the processes, using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and X-ray crystallography, as well as by appropriate biochemical experiments. Our earlier efforts have been published in the peer-reviewed journals such as: Science 2017 (PMID: 29146813); Nucleic acids research 2017 (PMC5314768) and 2021 (PMC8501970); PNAS 2015 (PMC4343176) and 2016 (PMC 4839411); EMBO J 2020 (PMC7360974); PLoS Biology 2020 (PMC7360974); Nature Communications 2021 (PMC8113463). In addition, we also have strong
interests in determining the structures of critical macromolecular complexes in SARS-CoV-2. The relevant recent publications include Science 2021 (PMID: 34315827) and Nature Communications 2022 (PMID: 35241675). Lab website: https://www.hi.umn.edu/research/faculty/bin-liu-phd/

Requirements
We are looking for enthusiastic, highly self-motivated Ph.D. candidates (recently graduated) with strong laboratory skills in molecular biology, biochemistry, and protein expression/purification. Experience in electron cryo-microscopy (grid preparation and data processing) or X-ray crystallography (data processing, phase determination, modelbuilding, and refinement) would be a plus, but not required.

To Apply
Please submit your curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interests, and contact information for three references to Dr. Liu (liu00794@umn.edu). Please use “Postdoctoral Position” as the subject line in your email.

Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $45,950.00 – $60,390.00 per year

Benefits:
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Schedule:
8 hour shift
Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:
Austin, MN 55912: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: One location

Hiring Insights
Hiring 2 candidates for this role

Tagged as: Life Sciences