chemical biology | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans

Research Associate Position in the School of Biomedical Sciences, King’s College, London

Applications are invited for the position of Research Associate in the Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics within the School of Biomedical Sciences at King’s College London.
How cells regulate and execute cytokinesis, the final step of cell division, remain major unsolved questions in biology. Cytokinesis requires the coordinated action of the cytoskeleton, the cell cycle and membrane machineries. The Eggert lab uses chemical biology approaches to study cytokinesis at the process, pathway and protein levels. This two and a half year post will focus on investigating the role of Rho signalling during cell division and related processes. The Rho pathway is responsible for regulating many important cellular events, including cytokinesis. We recently completed a high throughput small molecule screen and identified small molecules that target Rho signalling (Castoreno et al., Nature Chemical Biology, 2010). We also completed a genome-wide RNAi screen to identify interactors of the Rho pathway. The goal of the postdoctoral fellow working on this project will be to understand the mechanism of action of small molecule and/or RNAi hits. Techniques will include cell biology and imaging, biochemistry and small molecule perturbations.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 23 May 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application

Taiwan International Graduate Program, Taiwan: Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics

The Taiwan International Graduate Program is a Ph.D. program, started in 2002, established by Academia Sinica, the foremost research institution of Taiwan. In cooperation with top universities in Taiwan, Academia Sinica offers advanced, inter-disciplinary Ph.D. Programs in nine fields that span the natural and physical sciences, as well as computational linguistics. TIGP students will learn in all-English teaching and research environments, and enjoy access to world-class faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities at Academia Sinica and partner universities. All applicants who are admitted to TIGP will receive a fellowship from Academia Sinica. Fellowship will be granted for applicants who receive admission. The stipend levels are about US$ 11,000 per year. Additionally, the support will be extended to two more years for those students who perform well academically.

Scholarship Application Deadline: March 31, 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application

EBI–Sanger Postdoctoral (ESPOD) Programme, UK

The EBI and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute share the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus. This proximity fosters close collaborations and contributes to an international and vibrant campus environment. Researchers are supported by easy access to scientific expertise, well-equipped facilities and an active seminar programme.

The EBI–Sanger Postdoctoral (ESPOD) Programme builds on the strong collaborative relationship between the two institutes, offering projects which combine experimental (wet lab) and computational approaches. Projects may be selected from the areas defined below or proposed by the applicant. In the case of self-defined projects, the area of work must have been agreed with both the EBI- and Sanger-based group leaders. Two postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded in 2010, to start as soon as possible after October 2010 but within 12 months of the fellowship being awarded.

Projects:
Birney/Semple: Integrated high resolution phenotyping and genetics in the zebrafish
Flicek/Hurles: Functional genomic analysis of structural variations in the human genome
Le Novere/Grant: Inference and representation of post-synaptic protein pathways using proteomic and phenotypic data
Luscombe/Bilker: Identification of regulatory networks that control development in a malaria parasite
Luscombe/Dougan: Genome-scale investigation of pathogenic regulatory networks in Salmonella
Overington/Rayner: Target discovery and validation for novel malaria drugs using an integrated chemical biology approach

Application and selection dates:

Application deadline: 15 August 2010.

Applications should consist of:
(a) cover letter specifying the project the candidate wished to apply for;
(b) CV with two references;
(c) project proposal if the candidate opts to propose a project themselves (please note that this is not required if a project is selected from the list of available projects). Self-proposed projects should be described in a maximum of 1000 words and must be pre-approved by the group and team leaders involved before the application is submitted.

Interviews and selection process will take place from mid-September to mid-October 2010. Interviews will include one-to-one discussion with the group leaders associated with the project of interest and also a panelinterview.

Fellowships are expected to start from mid-October 2010. Fellowship start dates can be delayed in agreement with the project leaders but must be undertaken within 12 months of the fellowship being awarded.
Benefits of working at EMBL-EBI
EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. In addition to a competitive salary, EMBL offers additional allowances dependent on family circumstances as well as an optional healthcare scheme for fellows and their families (spouse and children). Please see our leaflet about working at EMBL-EBI.

Contact:
For questions on ESPOD projects, please contact the group leader in question (for individual projects) or Tracey Andrew, tandrew@ebi.ac.uk for general enquiries on how to apply.