Research Assistant (praedoc) (m/f/d) Protein Biochemistry

Branche: Geisteswissenschaften Branche: Geisteswissenschaften

Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie - Institut für Chemie und Biochemie

Research assistant (praedoc) (m/f/d)

with 70 % part-time job
limited to 30.06.2028
salary grade (Entgeltgruppe) 13 TV-L FU
reference code: Freund_SNARE

A PhD position is available in the Freund group at FU Berlin¹. The position is limited until June 30, 2028. This collaborative project between the Quantitative Biosciences Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (QBI-UCSF) and Freie Universität Berlin, funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin, aims not only to address a critical scientific question, but also to promote scientific exchange between the participating institutions.
The project is concerned with the machinery that forms the SNARE complex in the context of synaptic transmission. With a focus on biochemistry and structural biology, the goal is to understand the confor­ma­tional dynamics of SNARE complex formation when assisted by Munc18 and Munc13 proteins. NMR spectroscopy, XL-MS and electron microscopy are used to decipher the mechanistic underpinnings of SNARE complex formation. Furthermore, mutations in these proteins that lead to epilepsy or autism spectrum disorders are investigated with respect to altered protein function. In a collaborative effort with groups from FU Berlin, Charité and UCSF, we translate altered protein functions to pathophysiology at the organismic level.