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Three Lectureships in Structural Biology
The Institute of Structural Molecular Biology (ISMB) at UCL-Birkbeck is
seeking applications for three Lectureships in the fields of Biomolecular NMR
Spectroscopy (2 positions) and of X-ray Crystallography (1 position) that the
ISMB wishes to fill by September 2007.
We particularly want to recruit outstanding individuals who are capable of
developing world-class, interdisciplinary research in the structural molecular
biology of Cell Signalling, Metabolic Regulation, Molecular Cell Biology, and
Molecular Microbiology. Successful applicants will also be expected to make
an appropriate contribution to the affiliated department’s portfolios of graduate
and undergraduate teaching.
The salary range that is offered for these posts will be within the University
Lecturer A/Lecturer B range which is £29,138 - £38,019 (inc. £2,497 London
weighting) according to experience.
1. The Institute of Structural Molecular Biology (ISMB)
The ISMB is a joint initiative of UCL and Birkbeck College that seeks to
coordinate research activities between the two colleges in the fields of
Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, Chemical Biology and Biophysics. The
ISMB (Director: Professor Gabriel Waksman) was launched in June 2004 to
foster interdisciplinary research at the interface of those four disciplines and is
organized along 5 research programmes: Structural Biology (Head: Professor
Helen Saibil), Chemical Biology (Head: Professor Steve Caddick), Biophysics
(Head: Professor John Ladbury), Bioinformatics (Head: Professor David
Jones), and Proteomics (Head: Professor Jasminka Godovac-Zimmerman).
The ISMB organizes multidisciplinary activities that are aimed at increasing
collaborative, interdisciplinary research within speciality areas and between
these areas and the vast biomedical research taking place at UCL, NIMR, and
Birkbeck. ISMB activities include symposia, retreats, seminar series, and
students/postdocs presentations.
2. The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UCL
The two NMR positions will be based in the Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology. The Department consists of a core (the ‘Academic
Department’) that is mainly housed in the Darwin Building on the UCL Gower
Street campus together with a small presence on the UCL Hampstead
campus following the merger of the Royal Free Hospital Medical School with
the UCL Medical School. The department’s overall complement of academic
staff is 34 persons. The department has 20 HEFCE-paid support staff.
The department currently has 47 postdoctoral/graduate research fellows and
research assistants. 57 graduate research students are registered for the
MPhil/PhD programme within the department and a further 44 graduate
research students based at CRUK or at the MRC NIMR have secondary
supervisors within the department. The department houses the ISMB NMR
facility and the Cell Biology facility (see below).
Further details can be obtained at http://www.biochem.ucl.ac.uk.
3. The School of Crystallography at Birkbeck College
The X-ray crystallography position will be held in the School of
Crystallography. The School of Crystallography, located on Malet Street, is a
multidisciplinary postgraduate department composed of 14 academic staff and
8 HEFCE support staff. The School also has 40 research fellows and
research assistants. 80 graduate students are registered for the
MSc/MRes/PhD programmes within the School, as well as 40 online students.
It houses the ISMB Biophysics Centre, the ISMB Cryo-EM facility, and the
ISMB X-ray Crystallography facility that bring together a range of equipment
for use by members of the Institute of Structural Molecular Biology.
Further details can be obtained at http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk.
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4. General Research Infrastructure and Organization
A by no means exhaustive list of major research facilities in both departments
includes:
A new Cellular Research Facility (410 m2) consisting of Category 3 & 2
laboratories, general laboratory facilities for mammalian cell culture, insect
cell/baculovirus culture and bacterial growth together with attendant
microscopy and protein expression laboratories. This facility is located in the
Darwin building.
Proteomics facilities (LICR).
Molecular Biophysics facilities at the ISMB’s biophysics centre that
includes calorimeters (ITC and DSC), fluorometers, AUC, stopped flow and
quench-flow equipment, an imager, and CD spectrometers.
Mass spectrometry.
500, 600, and 700 MHz NMR spectroscopy (see description of facility
below).
X-ray diffraction facility consisting of 2 MAR detectors and 2 RU200
rotating anodes.
Robotic instrument for crystallization.
Bioinformatics unit supported by an extensive UNIX and Windows
based computing network including two 200-processor Linux computer farm.
Newly upgraded ultracentrifugation and scintillation counting facilities.
A newly refurbished electron microscopy suite containing a Tecnai 10,
Tecnai 12, Tecnai F20 FEG, and a new Polara 300 kV FEG with helium
stage.
Both, the UCL Department and the Birkbeck School of Crystallography are
recipients of considerable on-going investment from the Science Research
Infrastructure Fund which is providing for refurbishment of the general
services throughout the Darwin Building and the Malet Street campus, and for
refurbishment to a very high standard of research laboratories and office
space.
It is intended that the successful applicants for the Lectureships will be
provided with research facilities within the newly-refurbished spaces on both
sites. The SRIF funding that we currently have at our disposal also provides
unusually good opportunities for re-equipping and for provision of start-up
funds.
5. The NMR facility
The ISMB NMR facility is housed in the Darwin Building. The ISMB currently
operates one 500 MHz and one 600 MHz NMR spectrometers, each equipped
with 4 radiofrequency channels, a Z-axis pulse field gradient triple resonance
probehead and an unshielded magnet. The Varian UnityINOVA 600 MHz
instrument will be fitted with a triple resonance cold probe by the end of 2006.
We are in the process of procuring a new 700 MHz instrument complete with
conventional and flow-mode cold probe(s) and additional robotic equipment
for high throughput sampling. The use of this instrument will be shared by the
structural biologists with a local community of biochemical engineers engaged
in various genetic screening programmes. The investment in this instrument
may permit the updating or re-configuration of our older Varian UnityPlus 500
MHz instrument. We expect the 700 MHz instrument to be fully installed by
mid-2007. Day-to-day operations of the NMR instruments are supervised by
the NMR Facility Manager Dr Richard Harris, who has been in the department
for ca. 7 years and has experience of applications of NMR to small organic
molecules through to large proteins. Currently the NMR instrument time is
shared between the Research groups of Professors Driscoll and Ladbury, and
the recent newcomer Dr Xuemei Yuan who is a BBSRC research fellowship
holder.
6. Teaching
The lecturers based in the Darwin Building will be expected to teach in the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, while the lecturer based
at the School of Crystallography will be expected to teach at the School of
Crystallography.
The UCL department has a broad commitment to teaching at the
undergraduate level. It admits 60 – 70 students each year to its 3-year BSc
programmes in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and 15 –
20 medical students each year into a 1-year intercalated BSc programme in
Molecular Medicine. Support for these programmes represents about 40% of
the department’s teaching commitment. Additionally the department provides
a range of service teaching at Levels 1 & 2 to students in other BSc
programmes within the UCL Faculties of Life Sciences and Engineering
(about 30% of teaching commitment) and contributes teaching to modules in
Years 1 & 2 of the UCL Medical School’s MB BS programme (about 30% of
teaching commitment). Staff are expected to be able to teach a broad range
of Biochemistry topics at undergraduate Levels 1 & 2. At Level 3 staff are
normally only called upon to teach topics that are reasonably close to their
specialist research interests. Further details of degree programmes and
course-units can be obtained under Undergraduate Teaching Resources at
http://www.biochem.ucl.ac.uk.
The School of Crystallography is a postgraduate School that has PhD and
MRes students studying Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, and Biophysics. It
receives studentships from the BBSRC and the MRC. In addition to an
MSc(Bioinformatics with Systems Biology) course with full- and part-time
students, the School runs an MSc(Structural Biology) over the Internet that is
taken by distance learning students in many parts of the world.
7. Lecturer Probation and Training.
All new Lecturers appointed to UCL or Birkbeck are normally subject to a 3year probationary term. Probationary staff are expected to attend training
courses in teaching methods and to qualify for the Certificate in Learning &
Teaching in Higher Education through courses offered by either the UCL or
the Birkbeck Staff Development & Training Units. They are also encouraged
to begin working towards eventual membership of the Higher Education
Academy. During the probationary period staff are assigned a ‘mentor’ who is
an experienced member of the academic staff. It is ISMB policy that newlyappointed staff are given a light teaching load during the first year. This is to
allow them more opportunity to establish their research programme within the
department.
8. Job Description & Person Specification.
These are set out below as Annex 1 & 2 respectively.
9. Applications.
Applicants should send their CV and names and addresses of three referees
to Ms Charlotte Phillips, Departmental Administrator, Department of
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street,
London, WC1E 6BT, UK. Ms Phillips coordinates applications for the ISMB.
CVs should contain an account of applicant’s current research activities
together with a plan of future research intentions. The Head of both the UCL
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of the Birkbeck
School of Crystallography is Professor Gabriel Waksman (e-mail
[email protected] or [email protected]). He can be contacted
informally for general information.
We would welcome applications for these three posts before 15 January
2007. Interviews with short-listed candidates will take place as soon as
practicable after that date. Each candidate will be expected to be in the post
by September 2007.
ANNEX 1
Institute of Structural Molecular Biology
JOB DESCRIPTION
Title:
Lecturer in Structural Biology
Department:
For Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy posts:
UCL Department of Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology (Gabriel Waksman)
For X-ray Crystallography post: Birkbeck
School of Crystallography (Gabriel Waksman)
Reports to:
For Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy posts:
Head of Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
For X-ray Crystallography post: Head of School
of Crystallography
Lecturer A or B depending on experience.
Main purpose of all three jobs:
To carry out research within the ISMB in the area of Structural and Molecular
Biology, and teaching and administration within the respective Departments.
Main duties and responsibilities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
To carry out world-class research and produce publications, or other
research outputs, in line with personal objectives agreed in the Staff review
process.
To apply for funds to underwrite this activity.
To teach at undergraduate and graduate level in areas allocated by the
Deputy Head of Department/School for teaching and reviewed from time to
time by the Deputy Head of Department/School for teaching.
To supervise or assist with supervision of undergraduate (UCL), taught
graduate (Masters; UCL or Birkbeck)) or research graduate (MPhil/PhD; UCL
or Birkbeck) students.
To contribute to the development, planning and implementation of a
high quality curriculum.
To assist in the development of learning materials, preparing schemes
of work and maintaining records to monitor student progress, achievement
and attendance.
To participate in departmental, Institute and faculty seminars and other
activities aimed at sharing research outcomes and building interdisciplinary
collaboration within and outside the departments.
8.
To participate in the development, administration and marking of
exams and other assessments.
9.
To provide pastoral care and support to students.
10.
To participate in the administration of the department’s programmes of
study and other activities as requested.
11.
To contribute to departmental, Institute, faculty, or UCL-wide working
groups or committees as requested.
12.
To maintain own continuing professional development.
13.
To actively follow and promote UCL or Birkbeck policies, including
Equal Opportunities.
14.
To maintain an awareness and observation of fire and health and
safety regulations.
15.
To carry out any other duties commensurate with the grade and
purpose of the post.
This job description reflects the present requirements of the posts, and as
duties and responsibilities change/develop, the job description will be
reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the postholder.
November 2006.
ANNEX 2
Institute of Structural Molecular Biology
Lecturer A or B. Person Specification
1.
Knowledge
Essential: • A broad knowledge of biochemical and cellular processes in
eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms with particular emphasis
on cellular signalling processes, metabolic regulation, molecular
microbiology, and/or molecular cell biology.
• A specialist understanding of Structural Biology principles and
of NMR Spectroscopy or X-ray crystallography.
Desirable: A good background knowledge of organic and physical
chemistry and of general biological principles.
2.
Skills
Essential:
3.
Aptitude
Essential: • Ability to work collaboratively.
• Ability to share in design, organisation and management of
teaching modules.
• Ability to write and submit research grant applications.
4.
Qualifications
Essential: PhD.
5.
Previous Experience
Essential: • Postdoctoral research in Structural Biology.
Desirable: • Supervision of research students.
• Applying for research funds.
• Lecture and/or tutorial teaching to students.
• Assessment of student work.
• Pastoral care of students.
• Teaching and other forms of public presentation.
• Proven record of ability to supervise academic work by
undergraduates, masters and doctoral students.
• Proven record of ability to manage time and work to strict
deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Proven record of ability to conduct high quality research which
is reflected in the authorship of high quality publications.
6.
Personal Qualities
Essential: • Commitment to academic research.
• Commitment to high quality teaching and fostering a positive
learning environment for students.
• Commitment to continuous professional development.
• Commitment to UCL’s or Birkbeck’s policy of equal opportunity
and the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues and
students of all cultures and backgrounds.
7.
Other requirements
Desirable: • Membership of a relevant professional organisation.
November 2006.