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Faculty of Science and Health
School of Biological Sciences – Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI)
Senior Research Fellow (Molecular Dynamics)
Employment type: Fixed-term contract (until 31 July 2024)
Employment basis: Full-time
Salary: £40,322 - £49,533 per annum
Post number: ZZ005305
Date published: 09 December 2019
Closing date: 19 January 2020
Interview date: 04 February 2020
The University of Portsmouth is a dynamic and ambitious institution with a track record of success. One of only four universities in the south east of England to achieve a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework, it is also ranked 21st in the 2020 Guardian League Table University Guide, and 113th in the Times Higher Young University World Rankings.
With the recent award of £5.8 million from Research England, the Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) creates a flagship research hub, focused on delivering transformative enzyme-enabled solutions for some of the world’s most pressing environmental and industrial challenges, including biofuel production, plastic waste degradation and unlocking natural resources.
The CEI builds on our current research excellence and activities, and will provide increased capacity and capability around a unique and transformative research pipeline. Within this, we: Discover new enzymes from the environment that break down plastics; Engineer these enzymes and their production mechanisms to optimise their activity, stability and yield; and then Deploy them through industrial-scale production and processing.
We are seeking to recruit a talented Senior Research Fellow with in experience in computational biochemistry; practical knowledge of atomistic and coarse-grain simulation methods as applied to biological systems; and practical knowledge of molecular dynamics software (e,g. GROMACS / AMBER) to join a growing team of researchers, working together within our recently-established Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) http://www.port.ac.uk/cei. The Centre focuses on the discovery, engineering and deployment of enzymes and enzymatic systems with potential application to the circular economy.
The successful Senior Research Fellow will be at the cutting edge of our research and innovation programme and is expected to develop into a successful independent researcher, leading and growing your own groups though the support and mentorship provided by the CEI. The expectation is that you will successfully design, manage and deliver research projects on behalf of the research leader, with a trajectory to develop your own ideas and research projects. You will liaise and network with local, national and international collaborators, and other relevant professionals. You will design and manage collaborative experimental research sub-projects and generate high-quality data, including detailed analysis and interpretation, lead and contribute to writing high-quality joint papers for research journals and material for publications and lead and contribute to grant writing with UKRI, industrial and US funding bodies. As a senior core member of the team, you will be expected to contribute to the growing research culture within the CEI, and more broadly across the School of Biological Sciences.
The Senior Research Fellow position is fixed term until the 31st July 2024 and offers the opportunity to lead in the fundamental research areas that underpin the CEI pipeline, while developing specialist skills and engaging with an international network of experts.
Informal enquiries are actively encouraged and can be made to Dr Paul Cox, email to: Paul.Cox@port.ac.uk or Professor John McGeehan (Director of the CEI), email to: john.mcgeehan@port.ac.uk or to Jacky Dillon (CEI Manager), email: jacky.dillon@port.ac.uk.
Tags/Keywords: Structural biology, computational biochemistry, molecular dynamics, enzymes, plastics, lignocellulose.
Applications from candidates who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
The School of Biological Sciences holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, in recognition of our commitment to and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality. We value diversity at the University of Portsmouth and we are an equal opportunities employer, fully committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities. Fractional posts will be considered.
For detailed information about the vacancy, please select this link: ZZ005305 - Senior Research Fellow.docx