GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel is a foundation of public law jointly financed by the Federal Republic of Germany (90 %) and the state of Schleswig-Holstein (10 %) and is one of the internationally leading institutions in the field of marine sciences. Currently GEOMAR disposes over an annual budget of approx. 80 million Euro and has approx. 1000 employees.
The research unit Chemical Oceanography in the research division 2: Marine Biogeochemistry is offering a Postdoctoral position in Analytical Chemistry to work on NeuroMetalle – a BlueHealthTech project funded by the BMBF as part of the WIR! program and starting on December 1st 2022 or soon afterwards.
Project Description
BlueHealthTech links expertise from marine research (Blue), health care and industry (Health) to generate novel technological approaches aimed at improving the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of chronic diseases. The program exploits instrumental and analytical knowledge developed for marine research in the Kiel area to develop innovative health technologies (Tech) in new inter- and transdisciplinary partnerships.
The focus of the BlueHealthTech innovation alliance is on chronic diseases. To this end, BlueHealthTech has funded the project NeuroMetalle, which will use innovative chromatographic-mass spectrometry techniques to determine elemental and isotopic signatures in biological samples obtained from patients with Alzheimers, Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Job Description / Duties
The candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary team, that will investigate elemental and isotopic signatures of proteins in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The candidate will work closely with clinicians and statisticians from the Neurology department at the Schleswig Holstein University Clinic. The candidate will develop a protocol for analysis of elemental and isotope signatures in proteins using size exclusion chromatography coupled to both inorganic and organic high-resolution mass spectrometers. The candidate will analyse samples at the GEOMAR home laboratory, and establish patterns of element and isotope abundance in protein fractions in samples from control populations and those from patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The candidate will perform subsequent sample and data analysis, data interpretation, and scientific manuscript publication.
Qualification
- A PhD in analytical chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry or similar field is required or is to be achieved before spring 2023.
- Experience is required in liquid chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry
- Experience is required in the analysis biological or environmental samples
- Experience is required in analytical method development
- Experience with R or Python is required.
- We expect excellent English language skills and experience with working on research vessels.
- The candidate will need to indicate experience of teamworking and science communication.
- The candidate will need to indicate experience in research project management.
The position is subject to a final funding approval by the BMBF. This is a full-time position according to 100% of a full-time equivalent. The position can be split. Flexible working time models are possible in principle.
The position is funded by the BMBF and available for a funding period of 36 months. The salary depends on qualification and could be up to the class 13 TVöD-Bund of the German tariff for public employees.
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel seeks to increase the proportion of female scientists and explicitly encourages qualified female scientists to apply.
GEOMAR is an equal opportunity employer and encourages scientists with disabilities to apply. Qualified disabled applicants will receive preference in the application process.
Applications including a letter of motivation, CV and contact details of 3 referees should be sent to the following e-mail (bewerbung@geomar.de ) in a single pdf file, using the keyword “Gledhill – NeuroMetalle”: Please send your application not later than 28th July 2022.
As soon as the selection procedure has finished, all your application data will be removed according to data protection regulation.
For further information regarding the position and research unit please contact Dr. Martha Gledhill (mgledhill@geomar.de). Please also email the application to Dr. Martha Gledhill.
Please do not contact us by phone about the present state of procedures. However, we will answer all your questions if you send us an e-mail to bewerbung@geomar.de. In doing so, please refer to the keyword.
To find out more, follow this link.
