Applications are invited for Post-doctoral research associate positions in the group of Dr Evangelos Tatsis at the Shanghai Institute for Plant Physiology and Ecology (SIPPE) to work in the general area of plant natural products biosynthesis. The newly established group of Dr Evangelos Tatsis is located in the Centre of Excellence for Plant & Microbial Science (CEPAMS) a collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the John Innes Centre (JIC).

Group Description

Plants are an inexhaustible pool of structurally diverse chemicals, which are traditionally known as natural products. Many of these compounds have been used as therapeutic agents since antiquity and have played a crucial role in improving the quality of life. The fundamental goal of our group is to determine how plants make these chemicals. Our major focus is to elucidate, understand and engineer the metabolic pathways which are responsible for the biosynthesis of natural products from Chinese medicinal plants. To address these important goals, we will establish a genome enabled approach, utilizing bioinformatics, molecular biology and enzymology techniques, and a plant based synthetic biology platform. The group has collaboration projects with PIs from JIC as Prof Cathie Martin, FRS (https://www.jic.ac.uk/directory/cathie-martin/) and Prof Sarah O’Connor (https://www.jic.ac.uk/directory/sarah-oconnor/).

Job/Position Description

We are seeking  highly motivated post-doc to join a highly dynamic and interdisciplinary international laboratory. The successful candidates will conduct independent research in the field of biosynthesis of natural products in a multidisciplinary approach utilising modern molecular biology and biochemistry techniques. It is expected that the successful candidates will contribute critically to development and establishment of experimental protocols and procedures. The successful candidates will be expected to work closely with the project leader Dr Evangelos Tatsis, in collaboration projects with JIC and is expected to do scientific visits in JIC. Training and mentoring students is part of the role as well as assisting and advising other lab members.

The positions are available from September 2018.

Qualifications

We are looking for highly motivated candidates who have a PhD in Biological Chemistry or in any other discipline related to Natural Products Research. Biochemistry skills and experience in enzymology, and protein expression are considered essential. Additional experience and skills in natural product isolation and structure elucidation, organic synthesis, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, LCMS based metabolomics and bioinformatics are also desirable.

Candidates with background in structural biology, plant biology, synthetic biology, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry and bioinformatics are strongly encouraged and welcomed to apply.

The ideal candidates will be a self-motivated individual, capable of independent creative thinking with analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to communicate clearly, work independently, and interact collaboratively is essential as well as good communication and interpersonal skills.

Chinese and English speaking, reading and writing skills are essential.

To Apply: Application in English only. Please send your CV with publication list, cover letter, a short research statement (1 page max) and two reference letters to etatsis@sippe.ac.cn.

For further information, please contact with Dr. Evangelos Tatsis etatsis@sippe.ac.cn.