Research Fellow in Structural and Chemical Biology

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) control all cellular processes relevant to health and disease. Selective inhibition of individual PPIs would thus facilitate both a greater understanding of biological mechanisms and provide new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Presently, PPI inhibitors represent a minute fraction of current small molecule drugs, this is largely because of specific challenges associated with development of inhibitors for these targets.

The Perturbation of Protein-Protein Interactions (PoPPI) project is a major £3.4 million five-year collaborative research programme led by Professor Andy Wilson, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and bringing together the University of Leeds, the University of Bristol, the Northern Institute of Cancer Research (Newcastle University) and drug discovery organisations, AstraZeneca and Domainex. This large and diverse programme focuses on developing, validating and exploiting new tools to discover inhibitors of PPI’s.

You will be part of a large team based in The Edwards Group, in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology with access to a superb infrastructure for research in structural and chemical biology, including synthetic laboratories. NMR equipment, X-ray crystallographic, mass spectrometry and, biophysical techniques, together with state of the art online resources.

You will use structural biology and biophysics to assess the application of our methods for preparing inhibitors of multiple PPIs. The position will also provide multiple opportunities for personal development, as well as the possibility of research secondments at Bristol and our drug discovery partners.

You should have, or be about to obtain, a PhD in Biochemistry or related biological science with expertise in Structural Chemistry. You will also work closely, interactively and collaboratively with project team in an interdisciplinary setting, so you will need excellent communication skills, the ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.

This post is being advertised concurrently with an opening for a Research Technician – only one post is available. As part of this role, you must be able to complement the existing skills and experience of the project team.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Thomas Edwards, Associate Professor of Structural Biology

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 3031, email: t.a.edwards@leeds.ac.uk