[SA_scat] Research Fellowship in X-ray Scattering at Liverpool

stephen.king at stfc.ac.uk stephen.king at stfc.ac.uk
Wed Aug 10 10:11:08 BST 2011


Dear Colleagues

We would appreciate your help in alerting suitable candidates for the following opening at the University of Liverpool.

Many thanks in advance.

Samar Hasnain



Research Fellowship in X-ray Scattering

Barkla X-ray Laboratory of Biophysics
University of Liverpool

Research Grade 7
Salary: £30,747 pa
The Molecular Biophysics Group (see http://www.biophysics.liv.ac.uk/ ) at the Institute of Integrative Biology (IIB) at Liverpool has established a new facility for laboratory-based X-ray structural biology. We are looking for a promising scientist who wishes to establish himself/herself as an independent academic. You will need to have significant experience in the development and utilization of SAXS/WAXS for macromolecular research either in structural biology and/or polymer/material science. The position offers a major opportunity for developing an inter-disciplinary programme allowing ability to attract funding from all the major research councils and charities. You will be expected to take the overall responsibility of the X-ray scattering instrument and associated programme for its development, utilization and expanding the users base within the University and beyond.

The position is immediately available for 2 years in the first instance and will remain available until a suitable candidate has been found. Further information can be obtained by contacting Prof. Samar Hasnain, Max Perutz Professor of Molecular Biophysics tel.: +44 (0)151 795 5149, e-mail: s.s.hasnain at liverpool.ac.uk<mailto:s.s.hasnain at liverpool.ac.uk> , and Professor Andy Cossins, Head of the Institute of Integrative Biology tel +44 (0)151 795 4413, email: cossins at liverpool.ac.uk<mailto:cossins at liverpool.ac.uk> .


FURTHER PARTICULARS

1. The Barkla X-ray laboratory of Biophysics, named after one of the University's Nobel Laureate Charles Glover Barkla, is a new facility for laboratory-based X-ray structural biology (see, http://www.liv.ac.uk/institute-of-integrative-biology/facilities-and-services/barkla-x-ray-laboratory-of-biophysics/ ). Sir Tom Blundell and Dame Louise Johnson opened it on 21st July 2011. This facility is distinctive, deploying the brightest available laboratory X-ray source in dual mode, in which one port is dedicated to protein crystallography while the second port is for small and wide-angle X-ray scattering, with a sample-to-detector distance of up to three meters. This is the first time for any laboratory X-ray source where SAXS has been installed in combination with crystallography. It is also the first SAXS installation on a RIGAKU FRE+ superbright source. It thus offers a unique capability for polymer/colloidal sciences and structural biology in a university setting.
2. The Molecular Biophysics Group (see http://www.biophysics.liv.ac.uk/ ) was established in April 2008 with three academics including a Chair, which was named after Max Perutz, a Nobel Laureate and the founder of MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. Professor Samar Hasnain is the University's first Max Pertutz Professor of Molecular Biophysics, who together with Dr Svetlana Antonyuk and Dr Richard Strange leads the Molecular Biophysics group at Liverpool where research programmes are active in understanding the structure-based mechanisms of enzymes as well as disease causing properties of proteins. An active programme on fragment-based drug discovery is in place. SAXS is a core component of the group, for which Dr Guenter Grossmann, a University Lecture had the overall responsibility.

3. The Institute of Integrative Biology, is the UK's first Integrative Biology Centre bringing together the full range of Biosciences, from structural and chemical biology, through cell science, genome biology and genetics, to evolutionary biology, epidemiology and behaviour. It is part of the Faculty of health and life sciences, the largest of three Faculties of this major civic University with its outstanding reputation for research innovation. The University of Liverpool is credited with Eight Nobel Laureates, half of them (Ronald Ross (1902), Charles Sherrington (1932), Gobind Khorana (1968) and Rodney Porter (1972)).

4. The University of Liverpool is unique outside London in having a comprehensive health and life science programme with Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences and Tropical Medicine.  These together with the institute of integrative biology represent one of the largest life sciences communities in the country with over 450 academic staff engaged in frontier research on basic and translational science addressing major challenges on food security, infection biology and general health and well-being of animals to human through cross-cutting interdisciplinary programmes.
5. The Institute of Integrative Biology's funding for research comes from a wide range of sources, including the Research Councils, Research Charities, the Wellcome Trust, the European Union, MAFF and other Government Departments and Industry. The institute has a very vibrant research ethos including a substantial population of young PhD students adding to the energy of the institute. We currently have nearly 150 postgraduate research students.

6. The Institute's main offices and laboratories are housed within the Biosciences Building built in 2002 on the Main Campus, a £25M development funded by the University and competitive awards from HEFCE, SRIF and the European Regional Development Fund. It provides state-of-the-art laboratories as well as a particularly wide range of research facilities for virtually all aspects of biological science, which are available to the Liverpool life sciences community (see, http://www.liv.ac.uk/institute-of-integrative-biology/facilities-and-services/).
7. Some Selected SAXS References from the Liverpool's group
1. Gareth S. A. Wright, Hasnain S. S. and Grossmann J. G., The structural plasticity of the human copper chaperone for SOD1 - insights from combined size exclusion chromatographic and solution X-ray scattering studies. (2011) Biochem. J. Immediate Publication, doi:10.1042/BJ20110948.

2. Hasnain S. S. and Wakatsuki S. Biophysical methods: structure, function and dynamics studies of macromolecular assemblies using electrons, lasers, neutrons and X-rays. (2008) Current Opinion in Structural Biology 18, 577-580.

3. Hough, M. A., Grossman, J. G., Antonyuk, S. V., Strange, R. W., Doucette, P. A., Roderiguez, J., Whitson, L. J., Hart, P., Haywood, L. J., Valentine, J. S. & Hasnain, S. S., Destabilisation of the Dimer Interface in SOD1 may result in disease causing properties: Structures of motor neuron disease mutants A4V and I113T. (2004) PNAS 101, 5976-81.

4. Hasnain SS; Murphy LM; Strange RW; Grossmann JG; Clarke AR; Jackson GS; Collinge J. XAFS study of the high-affinity copper-binding site of human PrP91-231 and its low-resolution structure in solution (2001) JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, 311, 467-473.

5. Grossmann J.G.  & Hasnain S. S. X-ray scattering studies of metalloproteins in solution: a quantitative approach for studying molecular conformation (1997) J. Applied Crystallography 30, 770-775.

6. Grossmann J. G., Abrahams Z.H., Adman E. T., Neu M., Eady R R, Smith B. E. and Hasnain S.S. X-ray scattering provides direct evidence for a trimeric structure in solution of Nitrite Reductase from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans' (1993) Biochemistry, 32, 7360-7366.

7. Grossmann J. G., Neu M., Schwab F. J., Evans R. W., Townes- Andrews E., Lindley P. F., Appel H., Thies W.G. and Hasnain S.S. X-ray solution scattering reveals conformational changes upon iron uptake in lactoferrin, serum and ovotransferrin (1992) J. Molecular Biology 225, 811-819.


Prof. Samar Hasnain
PhD, FInstP, FRSC, FTWAS
Max Perutz Professor of Molecular Biophysics

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
University of Liverpool
Crown Street
Liverpool L69 7ZB

0151 795 5149
0151 795 5151 (FAX)
http://www.biophysics.liv.ac.uk/



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