진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

The Laboratory of Plant Biophysics and Biochemistry in the Biology Centre of the Academy of Science (BC CAS), České Budějovice, Czech Republic, is looking for excellent, innovative & highly motivated candidates for the position of 

 1 Postdoctoral researcher

Position summary
The position is meant for biochemically characterising proteins that bind trace metals as a functional cofactor or as a result of sublethal (chronic) metal toxicity stress. It is meant to be linked to several projects in the group led by Prof. Dr. Hendrik Küpper and Dr. Filis Morina.

Research project:
Trace elements are essential for plant growth and development, and for plant-environment interactions. They are involved in plant metabolism as cofactors of many enzymes, electron transport proteins and transcription factors. This is well known e.g. for copper, and zinc, but new functions continue to be discovered. For some of them an essential role has never been proven (e.g. Cr), others have a function only in few exceptional cases (e.g. Cd), and some are required only in minute concentrations (e.g. Ni). In our lab, in several projects we are revealing additional functions of trace metals, in particular related to plant immunity. Ongoing work in our lab investigates plant responses to mites and fungi, involving a re-programming of metal metabolism. Further, looking at toxicity, mostly high, environmentally less relevant concentrations have been studied. The molecular mechanism of sublethal effects at the environmentally most relevant nanomolar concentrations remains less known, this also involves potential new beneficial functions. In both research directions, in vivo responses to the treatments are monitored by imaging measurements of element distribution (µXRF) and photosynthetic light reaction (chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics). Mechanisms of action are further analysed by metabolomics, metalloproteomics and transcriptomics for screening. As the core work of the person to be hired, selected candidate proteins will be purified from native or heterologous expression and then further characterised. This is required to reveal the impact of the metal binding on the function of the proteins. It includes analyses of metal affinity and specificity of the proteins, metal modulation of their activity and interaction with other proteins, and characterisation of the metal binding sites. Therefore, the prospective postdoc is required to have strong expertise that allows her/him to carry out these works as further described below.

Workplace
The Laboratory of Plant Biophysics and Biochemistry (PBB, head Prof. Hendrik Küpper, deputy head Dr. Filis Morina) is part of the Institute of Plant Molecular Biology (IPMB) within the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, https://www.bc.cas.cz/en/). The lab provides excellent facilities to perform cutting-edge research, including high-end research instruments (e.g. sector-field ICP-MS, µXRF imaging, imaging and spectrally resolved Chl fluorescence kinetics). The lab is generally interested in the physiology, biophysics and biochemistry (incl. molecular biology) of photosynthetic organisms (green/brown/red algae, terrestrial and submerged higher plants, cyanobacteria). The main focus is on metal metabolism in terms of uptake, physiological use, sequestration/complexation, detoxification, toxicity and interaction with plant immunity against pathogens. 

Further details about PBB: www.umbr.cas.cz/~kupper/AG_Kuepper_Homepage.html.

The institute is located in České Budějovice, (which is 1:40h away from Prague by train) and is a city with over 750 years of tradition and breathtaking countryside around. It has a growing international expert community at the Biology Centre CAS and the University of South Bohemia. Check out our Guide for Expats to read about life in the city and the Czech Republic.

Conditions of contract
Employment can start on 1 July 2025, or later depending on mutual agreement. The contract will be for full-time work and initially for three months of probation period. Afterwards, if successful in the probation period, the contract may be extended for up to three years total, or longer if the candidate manages to bring in a fellowship or project that allows for it. Therefore, candidates with a strong cv that qualifies them for getting a high-level international fellowship (such as EMBO or MSCA IIF) or a grant from the Czech Science Foundation (CSF / GACR) are strongly preferred. This includes having a proven scientific track record evidenced by relevant publications: in the last 3 years at least 3 publication outputs (“articles”) above the field median (at least 2 of them in Q1) registered in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science.