Within IRIG, a group specializes in the study of molecular and cellular adaptations that enable microorganisms to colonize the most extreme environments. This group is recruiting a researcher for a 18-month fixed-term contract. The job will be carried out at the Institut de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble.
The candidate’s mission will be to characterize, in protein extracts from different types of extremophilic organisms grown in the laboratory, the most robust and most fragile protein populations with respect to different physicochemical stresses (salts, temperatures, pressure). The aim is to gain a better understanding of the molecular basis of extremophilic adaptation at the proteome scale, and to provide a framework for the search for traces of extraterrestrial life, notably in samples from Martian brines.
Main activitiesPreparation of cell fractions from extremophilic cells; biophysical studies of the effect of stress on proteins (fluorometry, photometry, CD, etc.); FPLC and HPLC chromatography; MS/MS proteomic analysis; structure prediction (alphafold, etc.) and bioinformatics analysis of proteomic or structural data.
Qualifications
Thesis in biophysics and/or structural biology
Experience in the public sector would be appreciated.
Skills
The candidate must have a background in protein purification combined with analyses in biophysics and/or structural biology. Please do not apply if you do not already have expertise in these fields. Additional expertise in proteomic analysis and bioinformatics is desirable. The candidate must be interested in fundamental research related to environmental adaptation and exobiology.
Research will be carried out in either French or English, although it is expected that the non-French-speaking candidate will endeavor to learn basic French in order to facilitate communication and integration into the laboratory.
Contract of employment The contract runs from 1/1/24 to 30/06/25
Contact Bruno Franzetti (IBS/ELMA)