A PhD student position is available with Josh Mylne, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow, laboratory head (www.mylne.org) and senior lecturer. Dr Mylne is based within the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry at The University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au) in Perth, Australia. This is a 3-year position and carries a tax-free stipend of $AUD 29,000.
The project pursues the enzymatic basis for the production of a bioactive peptide found in sunflower that emerges by hijacking a seed protein and its maturation machinery (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NChemBio.542). A subsequent article by us on the enzymology of the biosynthesis featured on the May 2015 cover of Chemistry & Biology (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chembiol.2015.04.010). The project will involve recombinant protein production, molecular biology and mass spectrometry. There is also scope to acquire skills in protein crystallography.
Applicants should have a degree in Biochemistry or a related discipline, with excellent communication skills. Experience in molecular biology and protein biochemistry techniques is a plus.
Interested candidates should send, before 20 January 2016, their CV and a letter of motivation including a brief description of previous activities to joshua.mylne from uwa.edu.au. Short listed candidates will be asked to provide 2-3 letters of reference.
The Mylne lab is based in the Bayliss Building which is a hub of molecular research housing the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry as well as the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. The building boasts some of Australia's best mass spectrometry and plant growth facilities as well as established, high-throughput, crystal-condition screening platforms and home-source X-ray beam-line. Overall this makes it the ideal research environment for plant biological chemistry
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the largest and oldest University in Western Australia. Recently and for the fourth year running, UWA was given an overall ranking as one of the top 100 universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, with a ranking of 87. The same process ranked UWA 24th in the world and 1st in Australia for Life and Agricultural Sciences. UWA scored five star rankings in student demand, graduate starting salaries, research intensivity, and research grants in the Good Universities Guide 2015.
Perth is a stunning part of the world to live in; the population is 1.8 million and it's located on the Swan River where it meets the western coast. Perth has pristine beaches with crystal clear water and a Mediterranean climate of warm hot summers, and mild winters. On a bike ride to work along the river (most of Perth is flat) you are likely to spot dolphins and black swans. Perth has the benefits of cosmopolitan big city living, but without the overcrowding.
References:
Mylne et al. (2011) Nature Chemical Biology 7:257-259.
Mylne et al. (2012) Plant Cell 24: 2765-2778.
Elliott et al. (2014) Plant Cell 26: 981-995.
Bernath-Levin et al. (2015) Chemistry & Biology 22: 571-582.
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Joshua S. Mylne, Ph.D.
ARC Future Fellow
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology | Bayliss Building | The University of Western Australia (M310) | 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth WA 6009, Australia
Tel: +61 8 6488 4415
Lab: +61 8 6488 4446
E-m: joshua.mylne from uwa.edu.au
Web: www.uwa.edu.au/people/joshua.mylne
Web: www.mylne.org
