The Institute of Soil Biology (ISB) is looking for a motivated young scientist in molecular biology with strong background in bioinformatics, comparative genomics and natural products discovery. This postdoc position will be open from 1st January 2020 for minimum 2 years. It is related to a running project “Unique biosynthetic enzymes as keys to novel bioactive compounds” (4/2017-12/2020, Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic) and to a recently submitted projects about interactions of streptomycetes with human immune responses or the activation of biosynthetic gene clusters by co-cultivation (should start in 2020). Chosen candidate will focus on human associated non-pathogenic streptomycetes strains, their specific genomic, physiologic and metabolic features, as well as, on their potential to produce natural bioactive compounds and thus modulate immune response and inhibit human respiratory pathogens. Candidate will join small team with well-established cooperations with 1st Medical Faculty in Charles University in Prague and few teams abroad (University in Tubingen, BOKU in Vienna).
The Biology Centre (BC) of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Soil Biology (http://www.upb.cas.cz) performs mainly basic science with a long tradition of soil-oriented biology and ecology research. However, many of the actual research topics broaden the research area to ecosystem level, exploring different environments or biotechnology oriented applied research. Currently, ISB tightly cooperates on selected research topics with newly developed SoWa Research Infrastructure (www.soilwater.eu).
The ideal candidate will have:
a PhD degree or equivalent in microbiology, molecular biology, ecology or environmental science with solid experience in actinomycetes;
strong background in bioinformatics, especially genomics, advanced practical experience in NGS and OMICs data analyses;
ability to find creative solutions to new bioinformatics issues;
demonstrated knowledge and experience in genetic manipulations;
practical experience with cultivation and fermentation experiments;
experienced in phylogenetic analyses;
interest in interdisciplinary research; analytical chemistry can be plus;
programing skills: Perl/Python/R/SQL on Linux environment;
good written and spoken English.
Please, send your complete application (motivation letter including statement of your research interests (max one page), structured CV, list of publications and/or similar achievements to vendula.aubrechtova@bc.cas.cz before August 3, 2019. For further information on the project, please contact Alica Chronakova, PhD., +420 387 775 770, alica.chronakova@upb.cas.cz.
Town and background:
České Budějovice (Budweis) is a medium-sized town ca. 170 km south of Prague with 100,000 inhabitants and a relaxed atmosphere. Budweis is famous for its brewing tradition but also for a growing community of experts located at the Biology Centre of CAS and at the University of South Bohemia. Both the town and the surrounding countryside provide numerous opportunities for research and leisure activities.
We offer a competitive salary at local standards corresponding to the applicant’s experience and skills. Czech is not required, applicants from abroad are most welcome.
Source: https://www.bc.cas.cz/o-nas/uredni-deska/kariera/kariera-detail/4928-postdoctoral-fellow/