Post-doctoral position at University of Granada: Apply for an Athenea3i-2018 Research Fellowship at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I

Professor Susana Vilchez , from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for an Athenea3i Research Fellowship in 2018 at this University. The information about the Fellowship conditions, how to apply, Eligibility Criteria, Selection Process, Evaluation Process, etc. is available in https://athenea3i.ugr.es/. Please note that applicants must comply with the Eligibility Criteria (https://athenea3i.ugr.es/?page_id=23).  

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. It serves more than 60000 students per year, including many foreign students, as UGR is the leader host institution in the Erasmus program. UGR, featuring 3650 professors and more than 2000 auxiliary personnel, offers a total of 75 degrees through its 112 departments and 28 centers.

UGR is also a leading institution in research, located in the top 5/10 of Spanish universities by a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, or international funding. UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking (http://www.arwu.org/), and it is also well recognized for its web presence (http://www.4icu.org/top200/).

Internationally, we bet decidedly by our participation in the calls of H2020, both at partner and coordination. For the duration of the Seventh Framework Programme, the UGR has obtained a total of 66 projects, with total funding of 17.97 million euros, and for H2020, until 2015, more than 25 projects with total funding of more than 6 million euros. Our more than 3,000 researchers are grouped into 365 research groups covering all scientific fields and disciplines.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group

The IP belongs to the research group Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (CTS183) from the University of Granada. The group includes researchers from the Departments of Parasitology and Biochemistry and belong to the Institute of Biotechnology. The group is interested in studying the virulence factors and the mechanisms used by microorganisms (specifically Bacillus species) and protozoa (trypanosomatids) to colonise their hosts at molecular level. Two very different research lines are in place in the research group. The first one aims to study virulence factors in entomopatogenic bacteria and generate novel ones that could be used for biological control of insect populations that represent an economic or a health problem. The second one aims to study and develop vaccines toward protozoa.

Project description

The position is available at the research line interested in generating novel toxins active against non- target insect using phage display technology. The methodology has been proven to be adequate for isolating and obtaining toxins from a library of newly generated toxins displayed in a phage system. The proof of concept has been recently published at Scientific Reports (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5668233/) and our idea is extend the methodology to other insects such as the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratatis capitata or other agricultural pests or vector insects of diseases. The position involves work with bacteria and insects, bioassays with insects, and molecular techniques (PCR, cloning, SDS-PAGE, Western Blot, ELISA, Overlay assays) and phage display techniques.

Research Area

• Life Sciences (LIFE)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Susana Vilchez (svt@ugr.es):

• CV
• Letter of recommendation (optional)