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PhD Job offer

Project information

Acronym TubInTrain EC project number 860070

Project title Tuning Tubulin Dynamics and Interactions to Face Neurotoxicity: a Multidisciplinary Approach for Training and Research

Funding H2020 / Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN-European Joint Doctorate

IP Marta Cascante Serratosa

Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Barcelona

Project webpage www.tubintrain.eu

Job description

Title Development of metabolic modelling tools to determine vulnerabilities associated with the metabolic reprogramming induced by MTA therapies on neurodegeneration models and in silico prediction of metabolic targets.

Offer description Project description, responsibilities, functions and/or tasks of the position, PhD program, etc.

The PhD fellow chosen for this position will take part in the EU-funded Innovative Training Network TubInTrain. The TubInTrain network has participants from six European countries and encompasses ten academic groups and ten companies committed to creating an outstanding training program for thirteen early stage researchers (ESRs) to elucidate the mechanisms of neurodegeneration associated to microtubules structure and dynamics.

The Early Stage Researcher ESR key tasks will be to manage and carry out the assigned research project, participate in the TubInTrain training and network activities, take courses, write scientific articles and your PhD thesis, participate in national and international congresses and scientific meetings, undertake a research stay at an external research laboratory within the TubInTrain network, and disseminate the obtained scientific results.

In particular, the ESR enrolled in this position will first develop the Genome Scale Metabolic Model (GSMM) needed for modelling the metabolic phenotype of the neuron cell models used in the project. With this aim, the ESR will integrate in a generic GSMM the RNAseq data and the metabolomics and other experimental data generated by ESR12, in order to generate specific GSMMs of healthy and neurodegenerative neurons treated or untreated with MTA. These GSMMs will be used by ESR to identify transcriptional networks and metabolic pathways relevant in: i) the development of the neurodegenerative disorders, and in ii) the effect of MTA treatment in neurons. The most promising metabolic targets to be inhibited in combination with MTA will be validated experimentally by another ESR involved in the project (ESR12). Next, the ESR will design novel inhibitors against the identified metabolic targets using fragment based molecular design techniques. The ESR will be enrolled by Universitat de Barcelona (Spain) under the supervision of Prof. Marta Cascante and will spend one year at the Université de Strasbourg (France) under the supervision of Prof. Alexandre Varnek and up to three months at the company LifeGlimmer GmbH (www.lifeglimmer.com) (Germany). At the end of the Ph.D. the ESR will be awarded a double doctorate degree in co-tutelle in Biotechnology (from the University of Barcelona) and in Chemistry (from the University of Strasbourg).

Expected commencement is as soon as possible, but in any case before 1 March 2020.

Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (PhD candidate or equivalent, experience less than 4 years)

Research field Biological Sciences Computer Sciences

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Gross salary per year See “Benefits”

How to apply

Required documents Instructions, list of required documents and forms are available in www.tubintrain.eu/#form

Send your application to: email secretary@tubintrain.eu

email subject TubInTrain ESR13

Work conditions

Type of contract Temporary

Job status Select one full-time Hours per week 37.5

Application deadline 11-11-2019 Job Starting Date 01-03-2020

Hiring Organisation

Contact Person: Name Marta Cascante Serratosa

email martacascante@ub.edu

Phone 0034-934021593

Work location

Department / Centre Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona

City Barcelona (Spain)

Street Avda. Diagonal 643, Edifici Prevosti floor (-2)

Postal Code 08028

Requirements

Required Education Level Select one Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications MSc Science degree with a good level of programming skills and interest in systems biology, computational biology, metabolic networks modeling, molecular modeling, and computer aided drug design.

Specific requirements

The candidate should have good informatics skills and minimum knowledge (at BsC or MsC) of biological systems and biochemical concepts. Previous experience in modeling of biological networks (e.g. metabolic models, genome scale metabolic models) and in molecular modeling techniques (e.g. molecular dynamics, molecular docking) will be considered.

Required languages Language Level Basic/Good/Excellent/Mother tongue

English Excellent

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Additional information

Website for additional job details www.tubintrain.eu/

Euraxess job offer link: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/455071

Selection process

Eligibility criteria There are strict mobility and eligibility criteria:

- The candidate must hold a minimum of 300 credits ECTS (including BsC and MsC). - The candidate is required to be proficient in the English language. - The candidate must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than twelve months in the last three years immediately prior to the recruitment – unless as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention. - The position is for an Early-Stage Researcher, so the candidate, at the date of recruitment, must be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of his/her research career and must not have been awarded a doctoral degree.

Selection process The ESR will be selected on the basis of the following criteria (in random order): - scientific skills and research experience; - ability to collaborate and communicate; - career profile and potential for excellence; - expected impact of the proposed training on their career; - research project.

Additional comments

Priority will be given to people with disabilities (Law 89/2015 of June 2, reserve of quota 2% in favour of people with disabilities in companies of 50 or more people).

Benefits

Each ESR will receive a 36-month grant to cover his/her participation costs, living, travel and installation allowance, family allowance, as follows:

Living allowance : € 3,119.58/montha,b

Mobility allowance: € 600/month

Family allowance: € 250/monthc

aThis amount is then adjusted through the application of a correction coefficient to the living allowance of the

country in which the researcher will be recruited. bThe living allowance is a gross EU contribution to the salary

costs of the researcher. Consequently, the net salary results from deducting all compulsory (employer/employee) social security contributions as well as direct taxes (e.g. income tax) from the gross amounts.

cThe family allowance will be paid should the researcher have family.

The ESR will be provided with office space and all facilities for his/her research programme.

Una vegada degudament complimentat l’anterior formulari, faci’ns-el arribar al correu electrònic opir@fbg.ub.edu per tal que des de l’OPIR iniciem el procés de publicació de l’oferta a EURAXESS.