A 4-year PhD position is available in the groups of Dr. Derek Logan and Prof. Ulf Ryde at the Dept. of Biochemistry and Structural Biology and the Dept. of Theoretical Chemistry at Lund University, Sweden. The project is sponsored by the European Spallation Source and will also involve the participation of ESS scientists.
The PhD student will work on structural and theoretical studies of protein-ligand interactions, using the carbohydrate binding protein galectin-3 as a model system. Structural studies will be conducted principally using neutron crystallography in combination with X-ray crystallography at very high resolution (< 0.9 Å). The work will include production of crystals of suitable size for neutron diffraction, data collection at various neutron sources around the world, processing and modelling. The theoretical studies will be conducted in Ulf Ryde's group at Theoretical Chemistry. We will develop methods to combine crystallographic refinement and quantum mechanical calculations. In addition, we perform molecular dynamic simulations and estimates of binding affinities using free-energy perturbation. The project is part of a larger network at Lund University including organic chemists, medical scientists and NMR experts, dedicated to a fundamental understanding of protein-ligand interactions in general and galectin inhibition in particular. The candidate must have bachelor's degree in an appropriate subject (preferably chemistry), and should ideally have previous experience in structural biology, both theoretical and practical. The candidate should also have good knowledge of theoretical chemistry. Experience of quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics and simulations is an advantage. The deadline for application is 31st January 2013. For more information on the eligibility requirements, please see: http://admin.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=22598&Dnr=511988&Type=E For further information on the project please contact: Derek Logan, Senior lecturer +46 46-2224584 derek.lo...@biochemistry.lu.se Ulf Ryde, Professor +46-2224502 ulf.r...@teokem.lu.se http://www.cmps.lu.se/ http://www.teokem.lu.se/ http://www.chem.lu.se/People/galectins_in_Lund/ http://www.esss.se
