The Bio2Byte group led by Prof. Dr. Wim Vranken at the VUB in Brussels, Belgium, works on the prediction of protein characteristics, and the interpretation of these predictions in relation to life science problems such as molecular causes for human diseases or protein design (see bio2byte.be/).
We are now starting a project to investigate the relationships between the post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins, their subcellular location, and their biophysical characteristics, in collaboration with UGent and UCL. We are looking for a researcher to join us, and contribute to this project by working towards a better understanding of the effect of PTMs (e.g. phosphorylation) on protein conformation and dynamics. This position will be highly collaborative, with researchers at the Bio2Byte group, as well as at the UGent and UCL. We envisage an extensive methodological study of the effect of such PTMs on the local interactions between amino acids in proteins using Molecular Dynamics (MD) approaches. This information should then enable PTM-aware sequence-based predictions of protein characteristics, such as backbone dynamics or conformational propensities. The end goal of the project is to obtain proteome-scale insights in how the sequence, biophysical characteristics, PTMs and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of proteins relate to their subcellular location, and make this information available to the community.
Our group is very international, with close collaborations within and outside of Europe. We offer an open, dynamic and rewarding working environment, focused on team work and collaborations, with initiative, discussion and originality stimulated.
● You have a Master’s or Ph.D. degree in (computer) sciences or engineering.
● You have extensive MD experience, especially in the in-depth interpretation of MD simulations.
● You are experienced in Python, and can script MD runs at a large scale, for (modified) peptides
● You are a team worker, who enjoys solving problems in close collaboration with others.
● Additional advantageous skills are i) Creating MD topologies and/or using different force fields, ii) general structural bioinformatics and iii) machine learning.
For a valid application, please fill in this online form: bit.ly/b2b_md. It is mandatory to include 1) a CV including at least 2 contacts for references, 2) a complete motivation letter.