Postdoctoral Associate – Protein Self‑Assembly (BioSciences)

About the role

The Caroline Ajo‑Franklin lab in the Department of BioSciences is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Associate to lead protein self‑assembly projects at interfaces. The position is part of the S‑LATTICE project, which aims to create defect‑free 2D S‑layer protein crystals for advanced material applications.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and optimize protocols for assembling purified S‑layer proteins into crystals at the air‑water interface.
• Clone, overexpress, and purify candidate S‑layer proteins in Escherichia coli using established methods.
• Engineer secretion‑based production systems in monoderm and diderm bacteria.
• Prepare samples for collaborators and quantitatively assess lattice order.
• Document experimental data meticulously and communicate results to the research team and sponsor.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation, reports, and presentations at national and international meetings.

Required profile

• Ph.D. in Biophysics, Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related field.
• Strong track record of collaborative, multidisciplinary research in protein self‑assembly.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Required skills

• Cloning and molecular biology techniques.
• Protein expression and purification, especially in E. coli.
• Engineering secretion pathways in bacterial systems.
• Assembly of proteins at air‑water interfaces.
• Lattice analysis using microscopy or related techniques.

What we offer

• Opportunity to lead a cutting‑edge research project funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency.
• Access to state‑of‑the‑art facilities and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Support for publishing and presenting research findings.