Fully Funded 4 year PhD Studentship
An integrated study of protein structure-function-dynamics with applications
to human health and the environment
Dr. R.W. Strange, School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park,
Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ UK
Dr. C. Yong & Dr. T. Keal, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire UK
Dr. C Verma, Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore
An opportunity exists for an outstanding graduate to play a central role in a state of the art project in
experimental structural biology and computational biology. The successful candidate for this fully funded 4year PhD studentship will be based at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex and have
access to the Hartree Centre, STFC Daresbury, the UK’s premiere high performance computing
environment. The candidate will also spend two years working in the Bioinformatics Institute A*STAR,
located in the vibrant, multicultural city of Singapore.
You will participate in an interdisciplinary research programme in one of our project areas,
investigating detailed structure-function studies of metalloenzymes using a combination of solution x-ray
scattering, protein crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations. These studies will reveal structural
and dynamic information to understand both protein function and catalytic processes and to locate cryptic
ligand-binding pockets for future peptide design and fragment-based drug discovery approaches. The project
offers excellent training in synchrotron-based X-ray methods and in advanced computer-simulation methods
with application to biological problems. Our current project areas are in proteins involved in
neurodegenerative diseases.and proteins important for control of the global nitrogen cycle.
We are seeking a highly motivated, independent and creative individual with excellent
communication skills, who is fully committed to working in Singapore as well as in the UK. Applications are
invited from EU/UK citizens only who hold or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second class honours degree
or equivalent in the Physical, Chemical, Biological or Computational Sciences.
For recent examples of published work relevant to the proposal, see 1.Nature Communications 4,
1758 (2013) doi:10.1038/ncomms2750, 2. Proteins 82, 3194-3209 (2014) doi: 10.1002/prot.24688, 3. J
Chem Theory Comput 11, 3199−3210 (2015) doi: 10.1021/ct5010577; 4. Curr Med Chem 20, 569-575
(2013).
Entry requirements and application procedures
Applications should be submitted electronically by 15 August 2016 see here for details
https://www.essex.ac.uk/pgapply/enter.aspx
Additional questions and queries about the studentship can be addressed to Dr. R.W. Strange
([email protected])
For general information about the School of Biological Sciences at the University please visit our webpages
http://www.essex.ac.uk/bs/.
The University of Essex
In the recent Research Excellence Framework 77% of research at the University of Essex research is 'world
leading' or 'internationally excellent' (REF 2014).We offer world-class supervision and training opportunities
and our research students work at the heart of an internationally-acknowledged and well-connected research
community. In the 2013 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, 84% of respondents said that they were
satisfied with the quality of their research degree. At Essex we win awards for our pioneering student support
schemes. We are the most recent winners of the prestigious Times Higher Education award for Outstanding
Support for Students. Essex is a genuine global community. With more than 130 countries represented
within our student body, and 40% of our students from overseas, we are one of the most internationallydiverse universities in the UK.