PhD Position in Carbohydrate Microarrays at the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Copenhagen

The Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology wishes to appoint a PhD candidate in the area of carbohydrate microarrays. The position will start on July 1, 2010 (or as soon as possible thereafter) and will run for 3 years.

Job description
With reference to the project manager, the work of the PhD student will consist mainly of duties in connection with research and development within the area of carbohydrate microarrys as applied to plant cell wall glycans and the screening of carbohydrate active enzymes and molecular probes. This project will place particular emphasis on dietary glycans, such as plant fibres and is part of the LeanGreenFood EU-funded network (http://ping.fm/TlCu4).

The PhD project will focus on the development of microarrays of well defined oligosaccharides, some of which will be produced using chemical synthesis by other partners within the network. This project will extend our recent research in this area (1,2,3) and specialized array platforms will be developed for mapping glycan populations in biological systems and for enzyme and ligand screening.

1. Moller et al. (2007) High-throughput mapping of cell wall polymers within and between plants using novel microarrays. The Plant Journal 50(6): 1118-28

2. Moller et al. (2007) High-throughput screening of monoclonal antibodies against plant cell wall glycans by hierarchical clustering of their carbohydrate microarray binding profiles. Glycoconjugate Journal 25: 37-48

3. Øbro et al. (2008) High-throughput screening of Erwinia chrysanthemi pectin methylesterase variants using carbohydrate microarrays. Proteomics, 9(7), 1861-1868

The appointee should have competence appropriate for research within the following areas:

Plant cell walls.
Carbohydrate microarrays.
Carbohydrate active enzymes.
Glycobiology.
Enzyme screening.
Note: EU rules concerning hiring of PhD candidates for Initial Training Networks dictate that researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. This rule does not apply in cases where a researcher is subsequently appointed in another node of the same network within the same country.

Qualification requirements

In connection with the appointment to the post special importance will be attached to the applicant having the professional and personal qualifications stated below:

* Passed Master´s degree in a subject area appropriate to the project described above.

The PhD student is also required to have research potential, to be enterprising and to possess good interpersonal skills.

Terms of employment

The post will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The post is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
The position as PhD fellow requires the applicant to be approved for admission to the PhD programme at LIFE when accepted for the post.

Questions

For further information about the post, please contact Professor William Willats on tel: (+45) 3533 3324, or email: willats@life.ku.dk

General questions regarding PhD programmes should be directed to Course Administration c/o Special Advisor Michael Cleve Hansen, tel. + 45 3533 2056 or Head Clerk Lillian Zeuthen Bjørnseth on tel. +45 3533 2172. Further information on PhD programmes is available at http://ping.fm/QCvcd

Application

The application should be submitted by e-mail as one pdf-file and as hard copies (paper). Each application should be marked as 625-251. Each application must include the following appendices marked with the stated appendix numbers:

Appendix 1: curriculum vitae with documentation of education (copies of MS and BS diplomas) and publication list, if any.

Appendix 2: transcripts of university examinations (both MS and BS), in English

Appendix 3: a letter of motivation stating why the applicant feels he or she is suitable for this position.

In addition to the material the applicant wishes to be included in the assessment, the Assessment Committee may include further material in their assessment of the applicant. In such circumstances, it is the responsibility of the applicant, on request, to send the material to the committee.

Following processing of the application, any application material sent will be destroyed.

Receipt of the application will not be acknowledged, but the applicant will be kept continuously informed of the progress of the application.

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation Executive Order no 284 of 25. April 2008.

The pdf version of the application should be sent by email to DPB_app@life.ku.dk and the hard copies (paper) should be sent to University of Copenhagen, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark, marked as 625-251

Applications must be received no later than June 11, 2010 at 12.00 noon. Applications received after the closing date for applications will not be considered.

Application Deadline : 11 June 2010

Source

http://ping.fm/UOrJR