Your mission
The Soft Matter Science and Support (SMSS) group is responsible for activities within the Partnership for Soft Condensed Matter (PSCM) - a scientific and technical platform supporting ambitious large-scale soft matter research projects related to nanomaterials, environmental and energy sciences, biotechnology and related fields - and the ILL chemistry support laboratories. The SMSS group has a great deal of interaction with the Large Scale Structures (LSS) group, which comprises a range of instruments designed to carry out studies on the structure of matter on a scale of one to hundreds of nanometres. The range of science covered is very broad, from polymer and colloid science through structural molecular biology to materials science and magnetic phenomena.
Your tasks
You will be responsible for the Lipid Extraction platform, which is of crucial importance for neutron research performed on Figaro, D22 and on D16. In this context, you are responsible for:
• Growing prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell cultures in deuterated media and produce specific deuterated lipid species as well as other components of membranes (sterols, gangliosides, polysaccharides, etc.)
• Separating both the hydrogenous and the deuterated versions of different classes of phospholipids by HPLC
• Improving the fractionation of the different molecular species that belong to a family of phospholipids (via reverse phase chromatography)
• Establishing a close collaboration with the D-Lab, from where you will obtain the bio-mass
• Following the quantitative lipid extraction and purification, characterise and identify the produced compounds by employing various analytical tools (e.g. MS, GC)
• Characterising molecular compositions of the experimental samples doing a pre- and post-neutron scattering analysis
• Pursuing your own scientific projects related to lipid biochemistry, aligning with neutron scattering research
• Maintaining collaborations with universities as well as other deuteration facilities
• Contributing to scientific publications and presentations at scientific conferences
• Improving existing extraction and purification techniques.
Your profile
• PhD in analytical biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, biology, or related fields.
• Knowledge in neutron scattering techniques, ideally having worked in a large scale international facility.
• Sound knowledge of chromatography (including reverse phase techniques, GC, HPLC, HPTLC), and mass spectroscopy, (ESI-MS, MALDI) and coupling of such techniques.
• Knowledge of complementary techniques available in the PSCM, such as DSC, ellipsometry, QCM-D, Langmuir troughs.
• Knowledge of liquid-liquid extraction techniques.
• Knowledge of chemical synthesis of deuterated or partially deuterated phospholipids.
What we offer
Quality of life
A hub for research and technology, the city of Grenoble is ideally located in the heart of the French Alps (just 3 hours from Paris/Provence by train, 1 hour from Lyon international airport and 1 ½ hours from Geneva). It is important for us that our staff achieve a healthy work-life balance. We therefore offer home working (under certain conditions), generous annual paid leave entitlement and a host of other benefits that you will discover when you arrive!
Prospects
We guarantee you a stable permanent position in a multicultural scientific environment.
Benefits
We offer generous social benefits (expatriation allowance, excellent health cover), moving and relocation assistance (under certain conditions) and an annual productivity bonus. We also offer language courses for you and your partner and subsidies for the use of public transport and the staff canteen, as well as for holidays and a variety of cultural and sports activities.
Sounds interesting?
Then why not take your next career step with us by applying online - preferably in English - via our career portal by 07.05.2023, quoting reference number 23/17 with a list of publications and the names of 3 referees, including one from your present work place.
Please note that all applicants are subject to administrative screening (background checks). For this post, medical fitness for work under ionising radiation is required.
We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity and therefore welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.