Professor Dame Louise Johnson

From: <elizabeth.duke

It is with great sadness that I would like to inform the crystallographic community of the death of one of the great pioneers of the field, Professor Dame Louise Johnson.

 

Those of us who had the privilege to work alongside her benefitted greatly from her vision for extending technique and instrumentation such that increasingly complex problems could be successfully solved and found her quiet determination to succeed inspirational.

 

 

 

----------
From: Gloria Borgstahl k

This indeed is sad news for today. 

I just wanted to note that Professor Johnson's early papers on time-resolved crystallography truly inspired me to continue in crystallography, influenced my decision for my first postdoctoral position and to push the limits.  I still have the carefully highlighted photocopies (yes used a photocopier and a real bound journal in gradual school) in my filing cabinet next to my office.

 

My condolences to those close to her and her family.  Gloria

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From: Laurie Betts

What a great lady to have inspired so many, and to remind us how welcoming the field of X-ray crystallography has been in general for women because of people like Dr. Johnson, Dorothy Hodgkin, and Rosalind Franklin, and many others. 

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From: Felix Frolow

As a devoted reader of the "Protein Crystallography" - the first and only comprehensive manual of the protein crystallography,

I express my deep sorrow on the departure from us of  DBE Commander, Professor Louise Johnson.

May her soul rest in peace. 

In full honor,

Dr Felix Frolow   

----------
From: vellieux


A very nice picture of Prof. Louise Johnson can be found on

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wellcomeimages/5814718414/

The picture was taken at Diamond's IO2 beam line.

Condolences to her family and friends.

Fred.

----------
From: Enrico Stura


Professor Dame Louise Johnson was my thesis supervisor and I am saddened by
her departure.

I would like to encourage the crystallographic community to contribute to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Johnson
so that her achievemens can be remenbered and can continue to inspire
future generations of crystallographers.

Those that have access to a copyright -free photograph can upload it to Wikipedia Commons:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

I would like to extend my condolences her family and all her friends.

Enrico.

Post-doctoral position in Lyon, France

From: Laurent Terradot
Date: 28 August 2012 12:36

Post-doctoral position in Structural Biology of Bacterial Pathogenesis at the IBCP (Lyon, France)

 

A FINOVI (http://www.finovi.org) funded postdoctoral position is available immediately in the group of Laurent Terradot at the Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines (IBCP), Lyon, (http://www.ibcp.fr). We are interested in the structure/function of protein complexes involved in bacterial pathogenesis. The funded position will aim to solve the structures of type IV secretion system effectors and understand their mode(s) of action (see Tosi et al., Febs L, 2009; Jimenez-Soto et al., PloS Pathogens, 2009; Kaplan-Türköz et al., PNAS, 2012). The project is a collaboration between our laboratory and team of P. Doublet at the University of Lyon 1.

 

The IBCP is well equipped for Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics and Structural Biology and belongs to a larger campus (UMS3444/US8, Lyon Biopole; Center for Infectiology), giving access to state-of-the-art core facilities, including crystallogenesis and biophysics platforms. The group has regular access to synchrotron beam time and is ideally located one hour from the European Synchrotron ESRF. Lyon is a vibrant, historical French city and is a world-excellence center in Infectiology.

 

We are looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals with a strong background in X-ray crystallography, model building and refinement. Successful experience in protein purification for structural studies is required. Experience in protein-protein interactions (Biacore, ITC) and/or study of large complexes would be a plus. Working language of the laboratory is English.

 

Starting date: As soon as possible.

Salary is according to the CNRS french guidelines.

Please send a cover letter, your CV and reference letters as a single PDF file to: laurent.terradot@ibcp.fr

 

Address:

 

Laurent Terradot

 

Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines

ATIP-CNRS Group Structural Biology of Bacterial Macromolecular Complexes

UMR 5086 CNRS Université de Lyon

7, passage du Vercors

69367 Lyon cedex 07 FRANCE

Symposium in Membrane Protein Crystallisation - UK

From: Dr. Isabel De Moraes
Date: 10 August 2012 17:31

Dear All,

The Membrane Protein Laboratory (MPL) at Diamond Light Source is organising a Symposium in Membrane Protein Crystallisation on the 27th of September at the Research Complex at Harwell - UK

The registration is now open:
http://www.rc-harwell.ac.uk/symposium-in-membrane-protein-crystallization

There are a maximum of 75 places and the registration will be closed once all the places are taken.
Program
                Symposium in Membrane Protein Crystallization
9:45 - 10:15    arrival/registration
10:15 - 10:30   welcome
Session 1       Chair: Prof. Steve Mathews - Imperial College London
10:30 -11:00    Introduction to Membrane Protein Crystallization
Isabel Moraes - Diamond - MPL
11:00 -11:30    Stabilising Membrane Protein Samples for Crystallization
Paul Thaw and Jeanette Hobbs - Molecular Dimensions
11:30 - 12:00   lipidic Cubic Phase Technologies for Membrane Protein Structural Studies
Vadim Cherezov - The Scripps Research Institute - USA
12:00 - 12:30   Membrane Protein Nano and Macro Crystallization using Lipidic Sponge Phases
Linda Johansson - University of Gothenburg - Sweden
12:30 - 13:30   lunch
Session 2       Chair: Prof. Thomas Sorensen - Diamond Light Source
13:30 - 14:00   The Use of Bicelles in Membrane Protein Crystallization
Jeff Abramson - University of California, Los Angeles - USA
14:00 - 14:30   Current Trends in Alpha Helical Membrane Protein crystallization - The Rationale Behind MemGold, MemGold2 and MemAdvantage Screens
Simon Newstead - University of Oxford
14:30 - 15:00   Advances in Automated Imaging and Liquid Handling to Support Membrane Protein Research
Olivia Sleator - Rigaku
15:00 - 15:30   Crystallizing GPCRs for Drug Discovery
João Dias - Heptares
15:30 - 16:00   Break
session 3       Chair: Dr Alex Cameron - Imperial College London
16:00 - 16:30   Imaging Protein Crystals with Ultrafast Lasers
Ellen Gualtieri - Formulatrix
16:30 - 17:00   Exploiting Microfocused X-rays for Challenging Problems in MX
Robin Owen - Diamond Light Source
17:00 - 17:30   BLEND - The systematic Scaling and Merging of Multiple Datasets in Macromolecular crystallography
James Foadi - Diamond - MPL
17:30   Closing remarks



Sponsors
 [http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/Symposium-in-Membrane-Protein-Crystallization/mainColumnParagraphs/01/text_files/file2/molecular_dim1.jpg] <http://www.moleculardimensions.com/>          [http://www.ttplabtech.com/assets/default/Site/en/img/logo.gif] <http://www.ttplabtech.com/>
 [http://www.formulatrix.com/images/formulatrix.png] <http://www.formulatrix.com/>       [http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/Symposium-in-Membrane-Protein-Crystallization/mainColumnParagraphs/01/text_files/file3/generon.png] <http://www.generon.co.uk/>
 [http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/Symposium-in-Membrane-Protein-Crystallization/mainColumnParagraphs/01/text_files/file/dibanner.png] <http://www.douglas.co.uk/>   [http://www.rigaku.com/sites/default/files/Rigaku_0.jpg] <http://www.rigaku.com/>
 [http://www.rc-harwell.ac.uk/assets/site_files/img/header_logo.gif] <http://www.rc-harwell.ac.uk/>

[http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/Symposium-in-Membrane-Protein-Crystallization/mainColumnParagraphs/01/text_files/file0/WellcomeTrust.png]<http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/>




[http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/Symposium-in-Membrane-Protein-Crystallization/mainColumnParagraphs/01/text_files/file1/Image1.png]<http://diamond.ac.uk/>
         [http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/2007templates/images/logo_imperial_college_london.png] <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/>

We would be delighted to meet you at the symposium.


With best Regards,
Isabel Moraes

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Isabel De Moraes, MRSC

Membrane Protein Laboratory Facility Co-ordinator
Membrane Protein Laboratory
Diamond Light Source Ltd,
Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire,
OX11 ODE, UK

Postdoctoral postion

From: Faiz Mohammed
Date: 30 August 2012 19:54


Hi,

A post-doctoral opening in protein crystallography in the laboratory of Prof. Chris Dealwis at the Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural biology. The project involves structure determination of protein-protein complexes and protein drug interactions. We are seeking for an individual that has a Ph.D in protein crystallography. Some basic biochemistry skills involving protein expression and purification will be extremely valuable. Candidates should send their CV directly to Chris Dealwis 
http://pharmacology.case.edu/department/Faculty/Primary/Pages/dealwis.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Dealwis%20Chris

Best,
Faiz, Ph.D.

Postdoc positions in X-ray crystallography or electron microscopy at Imperial College London

From: P Freemont
Date: 20 August 2012 13:40

Research Associates: London, United Kingdom

Imperial College London

Salary: £32,100 - £40,720 per annum

Two Research Associate posts are available in the the research group of Professor Paul Freemont (www.msf.bio.ac.uk) in the in the Centre for Structural Biology, at the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College London. Funded by Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council  you will join a group of multi-disciplinary colleagues and collaborators on two unrelated projects. Project one (NS 2012 168 IL) in collaboration with  Professor Xiaodong Zhang is aimed at understanding the  molecular mechanism and functions of the mammalian AAA ATPase p97 whilst Project two (NS 2012 176 IL) in collaboration with Professor Alain Filloux, will investigate the structure and function of the Type VI secretion system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

You must hold a PhD in a structural biology or biochemistry discipline or a related discipline, or an equivalent level of professional qualifications and experience. Research experience in a structural biological laboratory environment (covering  X-ray crystallography, and/or electron microscopy single particle analysis), and knowledge of protein biochemistry are essential. 

For informal enquires please contact Professor Paul Freemont 

Our preferred method of application is online via our website http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/employment (please select "Job Search" then enter the job title or vacancy reference – number ( in bold above) including spaces into "Keywords").  Please complete and upload an application form as directed.

Closing date for NS 2012 168 IL : 7 September 2012 (Midnight BST)

Closing date for NS 2012 176 IL : 17 September 2012 (Midnight BST)

***********************************************

Professor Paul Freemont

Head of Division of Molecular Biosciences

Faculty of Natural Sciences

Imperial College London

South Kensington Campus

London SW7 2AZ, UK

www.imperial.ac.uk/molecularbiosciences

Group: www.msf.bio.ic.ac.uk

Co-director of EPSRC Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation at Imperial

www.imperial.ac.uk/syntheticbiology

***********************************************

Senior/Principal Scientist – Protein Crystallography

From: Seungil Han
Date: 20 August 2012 20:48

The successful candidate for this position will join Groton Structural Biology and Biophysics (SB&B), a multi-disciplinary group with well-established expertise in molecular biology, protein biochemistry, biological mass spectrometry, NMR, biophysics, crystallography & computational sciences.  Our mission is to provide integrated molecular insights into drug target mechanism and target-ligand interactions to impact discovery efforts across important therapeutic areas, such as Cardiovascular, Metabolic & Endocrine Diseases, Neuroscience, Immunology & Autoimmune Diseases, Inflammation & Remodeling, Orphan & Genetic Diseases Pain and Oncology.

 

As a Senior/Principal Scientist - Protein Crystallography, you will be able to use your creativity, energy and expertise to contribute to cutting edge science and drug discovery through structural studies of a human integral membrane protein, building upon the exciting advances already made by the group. You will drive the progression of the project through protein purification and detergent optimization, crystallization and structural analysis.  You may have the opportunity to explore necessary biophysical techniques to characterize your proteins or solve specific scientific problems, and learn new techniques from experts in these areas.  You may also have the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of other disciplines involved in drug discovery.

Interested individuals should submit a CV, statement of research  and contact information for three references at

https://jobs.pfizer.com/psc/recruit/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/LSYS_DEVELOPMENT.Z_PFIZER_JOBS.GBL?country=USA&languagecd=ENG

The job ID: ID 970242

Inquiries regarding the position can be directed to Dr. Xiaomin Chen

PhD position available

From: Andy-Mark Thunnissen
Date: 20 August 2012 11:57

A 4-year PhD position is offered at the Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Starting date: position is open.

Description

The successful PhD candidate will determine X-ray structures of novel cytochrome P450 enzymes, to understand the structural basis of their selectivity and catalytic properties, and to use this insight for developing improved P450 variants. Furthermore, the successful candidate will participate in the activities of the FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network called P4FIFTY (http://www.p4fifty.eu), including research collaborations with 8 academic and 2 industrial partners.

Qualifications

To be eligible, applicants must hold an MSc degree, or comparable, in biophysical chemistry, biochemistry or similar. Experience with protein production/purification, basic molecular biology, X-ray crystallography and biochemical/biophysical characterization of proteins is highly desirable. Applicants should also have good knowledge of English, both written and oral, as the successful candidate will be asked to submit reports and the doctoral thesis in English. The position is offered in the context of a Marie Curie Initial Training Network, and transnational (European) mobility is a key element of eligibility. As such, applications will only be accepted from EU candidates who have spent less than 12 months in the Netherlands within the last three years. Candidates' eligibility for the post is determined by Marie Curie terms and conditions.

Application information

Further details of the post and application procedure are available at: http://www.rug.nl/corporate/vacatures/jobOpportunitiesRUG

(look for job title: PhD position Crystallography of P450s)

Applicants should send:

• Their Curriculum Vitae
• A covering letter explaining their motivation for applying and any previous research experience or project work.
• Two names and contact information for references

Please note that, if interested, you will need to apply online through the link above.

For more information you can contact Dr. Andy-Mark W. H. Thunnissen, 

Mac or PC?

From: Lee, Ting Wai
Date: 9 August 2012 20:52

Hi, everyone.

 

May I ask a very general question? I am going to buy a laptop. I am going to do a lot of structural biology work on it using programs such as CCP4, Phenix, Coot and Pymol. Mac or PC, which is better? I have never installed this kind of programs and done structural biology work on laptops except using Pymol. Will these programs cause any problems when they are run on laptops? I mean, will they slow down very much or even freeze the laptops? Can the programs finish the jobs at an OK speed? I mean, maybe not as fast as desktops, but not taking too long like days or weeks.

 

Sorry if this question is stupid. I hope to have your advice. Thank you.

 

HS

 

----------
From: Bosch, Juergen

On Aug 9, 2012, at 3:52 PM, Lee, Ting Wai wrote:

I mean, maybe not as fast as desktops, but not taking too long like days or weeks.

Sorry that time is over when you could get a cup of coffee while refinement of a structure was running.

Any system will work as long as you have sufficient RAM, if you invest into SSD you'll get spoiled very quickly.

Modern laptops are as powerful as 3 year old Desktop machines (I'm comparing Macbook Air 2012 versus MacPro 2009, if you run Geekbench on them you get tears how slow the 16 Core cluster is compared to the 4 core MacBook Air.

Jürgen

 

Sorry if this question is stupid. I hope to have your advice. Thank you.

 

HS

 

----------
From: Nat Echols

On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 12:52 PM, Lee, Ting Wai <> wrote:
> May I ask a very general question? I am going to buy a laptop. I am going to
> do a lot of structural biology work on it using programs such as CCP4,
> Phenix, Coot and Pymol. Mac or PC, which is better?

See this morning's thread.  Short answer: either works, just avoid Windows.

> I have never installed
> this kind of programs and done structural biology work on laptops except
> using Pymol. Will these programs cause any problems when they are run on
> laptops? I mean, will they slow down very much or even freeze the laptops?
> Can the programs finish the jobs at an OK speed? I mean, maybe not as fast
> as desktops, but not taking too long like days or weeks.

It depends on how big the structures you work with are, and what
you're trying to run.  I have a MacBook Air and it is quite adequate
for crystallography, but I've only worked with small and/or
low-resolution structures where there's no danger of exceeding the 4GB
memory limit.  (Of course, one can buy far more powerful laptops, but
the price goes up steeply.)  The important thing is *not* to buy the
cheapest PC laptop you can find, because the really low-end hardware
probably won't work very well.

-Nat

----------
From: HS

Thank you for your information. Actually I'm using my friend's old email account. I forgot to change the name. My name is HS.

 

HS

Faculty position in protein crystallography

From: Danny Huang
Date: 17 July 2012 10:32

Lecturer/Senior lecturer position in X-ray crystallography located at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research.

The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research is committed to carry out world-class research into the biology of cancer and to help develop better treatments to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. In conjunction with the University of Glasgow, we are looking to make an appointment at a lecturer/senior lecturer level in structural biology. We would be interested to hear from successful and motivated scientists who would like to develop an independent research programme in this area and join our strong interdisciplinary research center. The ideal candidate should have an excellent publication track record and extensive experience in X-ray crystallography to complement our well-established X-ray crystallography platform. We will offer a generous startup package and research support that includes access to leading-edge facilities (including state-of-the art X-ray crystallography, DNA sequencing, IT and proteomics).

Further information on the Beatson's research activities, infrastructure and facilities is available on our website www.beatson.gla.ac.uk

If you are interested, please send your cv along with a one to two page statement of research interests and goals to Dr. Danny Huang, the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, Scotland. For informal enquiries please feel free to call Danny on +44 (0)141 330 8145. 

Closing date: 8th August 2012

Post-doc position - Umea University, Sweden

From: Elisabeth Sauer-Eiksson
Date: 29 June 2012 16:47

A two year post-doctoral fellowship is available in the group of Elisabeth Sauer-Eriksson and Tobias Hainzl at Umea University, Sweden.

The project will involve structural characterizations of RNA and RNA-protein complexes based on X-ray crystallographic methods.

Ideally, the applicant should have experience in macromolecular crystallography, protein and RNA molecular biology, biochemistry, crystallization and structure determination.

Closing date is August 9, 2012.


We are looking forward to receiving your application!

/Liz Sauer-Eriksson and Tobias Hainzl

For detailed information and application instructions, please visit
http://www.umu.se/english/about-umu/news-events/grants/223-1440-12

A postdoctoral position in Dr. Yongqun Zhu lab in LSI, Zhejiang University

From: 永群 朱 <zhuyongqun
Date: 27 June 2012 16:11

A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Yongqun Zhu in Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University. Our lab interest is to take approaches of structural biology to study the pathogen-host interactions and cellular signaling transduction involved in cancer biology. In addition to structural biology, our lab is also actively involved in functional studies. The applicant should have or will have a Ph.D of structural biology, biochemistry or cell biology. A highly motivated candidate with strong background in structural biology or biochemistry is encouraged. Prior experience in X-ray crystallography is desirable, but not essential. Life Sciences Institute located in Hangzhou, a beautiful city in China, is fully funded by Zhejiang University and aims to be a worldwide first-class research institute (http://lsi.zju.edu.cn/). Our lab is well-equipped with state of art instrumentations for structural and functional studies. An internationally competitive salary and benefit package for the postdoctoral position will be provided. To apply, please email a CV and at least two recommendation letters to Dr. Yongqun Zhu (zhuyongqunATzju.edu.cn or zhuyongqunATyahoo.com.cn ).   Yongqun Zhu, Ph.D Professor, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University

Postdoctoral research position at the University of Edinburgh

From: Ken Sawin
Date: 28 June 2012 14:42

Postdoctoral Research Associate--Biochemistry and Structural Biology of Microtubule Nucleation

A post-doctoral position is available in Dr. Ken Sawin's laboratory, in the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK to study the molecular mechanisms of microtubule nucleation. The project will involve in vitro functional reconstitution and structural analysis of the fission yeast gamma-tubulin complex and the associated Mto1/2 complex, using purified/recombinant proteins and protein complexes.

Applicants should have a PhD, or will shortly obtain a PhD, and a strong background in protein purification, as demonstrated by publications. Internal motivation, enthusiasm and communication skills are essential, as is the desire to learn new methods (e.g., single-molecule EM, mass spectrometry). A background in cytoskeleton and/or structural biology is helpful but not essential. Although the laboratory works primarily with fission yeast, a background in yeast cell biology or genetics is not important for this position.  This post may be ideal for someone who has gained protein biochemistry experience via a PhD in crystallography but wants to broaden his/her perspective in cell biology.  Our preliminary data suggest that this will be both an exciting and complex project!

 

To apply, visit www.jobs.ed.ac.uk and enter vacancy reference number 3015902. More details about the position and the materials required for submitting an application can then be found by clicking on "further information" on the resulting webpage.

 

Informal enquiries about the position and research in the laboratory can be made to me at  ken.sawinATed.ac.uk.  But please note that any formal application must be made via the University website. Applications received after the deadline (8 August 2012) may or may not be considered. Further information about the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology can be found at http://www.wcb.ed.ac.uk.

Ken

Kenneth E. Sawin, Ph.D.

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.