Senior Scientist

The successful candidate will actively participate in research, teaching and supervision and will take a leading role in the scientific development of projects within the laboratory. A central responsibility will be to develop and conduct mechanistic research projects addressing fundamental questions in DNA repair, homologous recombination, meiotic crossover formation and chromosome biology. The Senior Scientist will independently plan, execute and interpret experiments and contribute intellectually to the development of new research directions within the group. A major component of the position will involve protein biochemistry and biochemical reconstitution. This includes the expression and purification of recombinant proteins and multi-protein complexes, development of quantitative biochemical assays, reconstitution of molecular reactions in vitro, and analysis of protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions. The successful candidate will use these approaches to dissect the molecular mechanisms, regulation and organization of DNA repair and recombination machineries. Depending on expertise and research questions, the Senior Scientist will also contribute structural approaches to the study of protein and protein–DNA complexes. Experience in structural biology, including cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography or related approaches, is therefore particularly valuable. The position provides opportunities to integrate biochemical and structural approaches with genetics, cell biology, advanced microscopy, proteomics and genome-wide methodologies available within the laboratory and the wider Vienna BioCenter environment. An important expectation of the position is the ability to adapt experimental strategies as projects develop. The Senior Scientist will be encouraged to identify and establish new methodologies when required to address emerging biological questions, to critically assess technological developments in the field, and to follow unexpected findings when these suggest important new research directions. The aim is not simply to apply established techniques, but to identify the most appropriate experimental approaches for answering the biological question at hand. The Senior Scientist will contribute broad scientific and technical expertise to projects across the laboratory. This includes discussing experimental strategies, helping with troubleshooting and data interpretation, developing or optimizing experimental workflows, and transferring expertise [...]

• PhD degree in biochemistry, molecular biology, structural biology, genetics, cell biology or a related field. • Strong scientific background in DNA repair, homologous recombination, chromosome biology or related areas of molecular biology. • Extensive hands-on experience in protein expression and purification, protein biochemistry and biochemical reconstitution. • Experience in developing and applying quantitative biochemical assays to investigate molecular mechanisms, including protein–protein and/or protein–DNA interactions. • Experience working with multi-protein complexes and mechanistic biochemical systems. • Expertise in structural biology is highly desirable. Experience with cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, structural characterization of macromolecular complexes or related approaches is particularly beneficial. • Strong publication record and demonstrated scientific track record appropriate to the career stage. • Demonstrated ability to independently develop research questions, design experiments, troubleshoot technically challenging projects and critically interpret experimental results. • Broad scientific curiosity and the ability to understand and integrate findings from different experimental approaches. • Scientific versatility and a willingness to move beyond established areas of expertise when required by the research question. • Ability and motivation to learn, develop and establish new experimental methodologies as projects and technologies evolve. • Ability to recognize important unexpected findings and adapt research questions and experimental strategies accordingly. • Interest in emerging technologies and the ability to critically evaluate whether new methodological developments can provide meaningful biological insight. • Ability to integrate biochemical and structural approaches with complementary methods in genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, microscopy, proteomics and/or genomics. • Previous experience in meiotic recombination is beneficial but not essential. • Experience in mentoring and practical supervision of undergraduate, Master and/or PhD students. • Strong motivation to support the [...]