Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences School of Chemistry Research Fellow in Synthetic Organic Chemistry Fixed term for one year, available immediately Project title: Exploiting aldolases in the stereoselective synthesis of fluorinated products The position is available to develop novel enzyme biocatalysts by protein engineering and directed evolution You will join a major research project funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative that involves collaboration with scientists from academia and industry You will be supervised by Professor Adam Nelson (School of Chemistry) and Professor Alan Berry (School of Molecular and Cellular Biology) within the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology You will have, or be about to obtain, a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, and will have a strong interest in the development of enzyme biocatalysts You will also have excellent communication and IT skills Experience in solving problems in synthetic organic chemistry and a strong interest in biocatalysis are essential University Grade (£25,513 - £30,434 p.a.) Informal enquiries may be made to Professor Adam Nelson, tel +44 (0)113 343 6502, email a.s.nelson@leeds.ac.uk Further information about the supervisors’ research may be found at www.asn.leeds.ac.uk and www.astbury.leeds.ac.uk Closing Date: February 2015 Ref: MAPCH1009 Click here for further information about working at the University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk/info/20025/university_jobs Job Description Responsible to: Head of the School of Chemistry Reports to: Professor Adam Nelson Professor Alan Berry when working in the Faculty of Biological Sciences Purpose of the Post The post arises from a major collaborative project funded from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement n°115360, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies’ in kind contribution The collaboration spans academic institutions throughout Europe and involves a number of major pharmaceutic companies You will join the collaborative team led by Professor Adam Nelson and Professor Alan Berry, and will involve postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and scientists from the IMI collaborators The project will involve the development of new enzyme biocatalysts for the stereoselective synthesis of fluorine containing small molecule scaffolds The postdoctoral fellow will exploit aldolase enzymes as biocatalysts, and demonstrate their value in the synthesis of fluorinated building blocks The research will build on the supervisors’ track record (see bottom of document) on engineering and exploiting aldolases as biocatalysts Main Duties and Responsibilities To exploit aldolase catalysts in the stereoselective synthesis of fluorinated building blocks To work under the direction of the project supervisors and under your own initiative To interact effectively with members of the research team including industrial and academic collaborators nationally or internationally To communicate or present research results within the research team, at national and international meetings and in learned journals To prepare concise written reports on the progress of the research, and to participate in regular meetings with the project supervisors and industrial collaborators at which the direction of the research will be reviewed and planned To provide assistance to other members of the project supervisors’ research groups To maintain laboratory notebooks and experimental data professionally to underpin publications and patents To assist in the preparation of publications and patents To assist in providing advice and training to other members of the project supervisors’ research groups To contribute to, and to encourage, a safe working environment To contribute to routine laboratory housekeeping duties To undertake any other duties in relation to the research activities of the School, as directed by the supervisors of the research project, commensurate with the grade Any other duties as may reasonably be required, consistent with the grade of the post Career Expectations The University of Leeds is committed to developing its staff All staff participate in the Staff Review and Development scheme and we continue to work with individuals, supporting them to maximise their potential Progression to a higher grade is dependent on an individual taking on an increased level of responsibility Vacancies that arise within the area or across the wider University are advertised on the HR website - http://jobs.leeds.ac.uk - to allow staff to apply for wider career development opportunities University Values All staff are expected to operate in line with the university’s values and standards, which work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together More information about the university’s strategy and values is available at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/ Person Specification Essential PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, or will have submitted your thesis prior to taking up the position A strong interest in the development of enzyme biocatalysts Experience in solving problems in synthetic organic chemistry and a strong interest in biocatalysis Evidence of generation of publishable research in synthetic organic chemistry (e.g recent published papers in refereed journals) Experience in the use of modern spectroscopic methods to characterise synthetic intermediates and products Ability to summarise research outputs/plans clearly and concisely in written reports (supported in full by experimental data in publishable format) Demonstrable ability to show insight and judgement in independent planning of mediumterm objectives and effective methods for delivering those objectives in a timely manner Ability to work in a highly organised and effective way as part of a collaborative research project Good background knowledge of contemporary research in synthesis organic chemistry Excellent IT skills Good interpersonal skills to enable effective communication with industrial collaborators with complementary expertise Commitment to and enthusiasm for research at the industry/academia interface Desirable Demonstrable evidence of contributing to the preparation of publishable manuscripts Additional Information The University offers generous terms and conditions of employment, a wide range of benefits, services, facilities and family friendly policies Full details are available on the Human Resources web pages accessible at www.leeds.ac.uk/hr The Partnership The Partnership has been developed by students and staff and describes the mutual expectations of us all as members of the University of Leeds community More information about the Partnership is available at http://partnership.leeds.ac.uk Disclosure and Barring Service Checks A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check is not required for this position However, applicants who have unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, including any pending criminal proceedings must indicate this in the ‘other personal details’ section of the application form and send details to the Recruitment Officer at disclosure@leeds.ac.uk Disabled Applicants The post is located in the School of Chemistry Disabled applicants wishing to review access to the building are invited to contact the department direct Additional information may be sought from the Recruitment Officer, email disclosure@leeds.ac.uk or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723 Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still be covered by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health conditions is available in the applicant guidance Supervisors’ Track Record Williams, G.J., Domann, S., Nelson, A and Berry, A (2003) Modifying the stereochemical course of an enzyme-catalysed reaction by directed evolution Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 100, 3143-3148 Woodhall, T., Williams, G.J., Berry, A and Nelson, A (2005) Synthesis of screening substrates for the directed evolution of sialic acid aldolase: Towards tailored enzymes for the preparation of influenza A inhibitor analogues Org Biomol Chem, 3, 1795-1800 Woodhall, T., Williams, G.J., Berry, A and Nelson, A.S (2005) Directed evolution of an aldolase for the parallel synthesis of sialic acid mimetics Ang Chem Int Ed, 44, 2109-2112 Williams, G.J., Woodhall, T., Farnsworth, L.M., Nelson, A and Berry, A (2006) Creation of a Pair of Stereochemically Complementary Biocatalysts J Am Chem Soc., 128, 1623816247 Bolt, A., Berry, A and Nelson, A (2008) Directed evolution of aldolases for exploitation in synthetic organic chemistry Arch Biochem Biophys, 474, 318-330 (doi:10.1016/j.abb.2008.01.005) Campeotto, I., Bolt, A.H., Harman, T.A., Dennis, C., Trinh, C.H., Phillips, S.E.V., Nelson, A., Pearson, A.R and Berry, A (2010) Structural insights into substrate specificity in variants of N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase produced by directed evolution J Mol Biol 404, 56-69 Kinnell, A., Harman, T., Bingham, M., Berry, A and Nelson, A (2012) Development of an organo- and enzyme-catalysed one-pot, sequential three-component reaction Tetrahedron.68, 7719-7722 N Timms, C L Windle, A Polyakova, J R Ault, C H Trinh, A R Pearson, A Nelson and A Berry (2013) Structural insights into the recovery of aldolase activity in N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase by replacement of the catalytically active -thialysine by using a chemical mutategenesis strategy, ChemBioChem 14, 474-481 A Daniels, I Campeotto, M van der Kamp, A Bolt, C Trinh, S Phillips, A Peason, A Nelson, A Mulholland and A Berry (2014) The reaction mechanism of N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase revealed by a combination of crystallography, QM/MM simulation and mutagenesis, ACS Chem Biol 9, 1025-1032 ... problems in synthetic organic chemistry and a strong interest in biocatalysis Evidence of generation of publishable research in synthetic organic chemistry (e.g recent published papers in refereed... PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, or will have submitted your thesis prior to taking up the position A strong interest in the development of enzyme biocatalysts Experience in solving problems... of the research team including industrial and academic collaborators nationally or internationally To communicate or present research results within the research team, at national and international