Research Fellow in Membrane Protein Structure/ Function Studies

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in membrane protein biochemistry? Do you want to work in a multidiscipline environment of academic and industrial partners? Do you want to work with cutting edge electron microscopy and mass spectrometry techniques?

This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a multidisciplinary team of both academic and industrial partners working on a 3 year project funded by BBSRC, GlaxoSmithkline, and UCB. It is becoming increasingly apparent that association with specific lipids is an important factor in membrane protein structure and function. This project aims to investigate how different membrane protein extraction methodologies and expression regimes affect the lipids that are extracted with the protein and how this impacts on activity, structure and ease of structure determination by single particle electron microscopy (EM). To address this important question this project will amalgamate expertise in cutting edge mass spectrometry and EM, taking advantage of the recent investment within the University of Leeds. These include the Astbury Biostructure facility which houses two Titan Krios microscopes and a ~£1M investment in the mass spectrometry facility to incorporate an ion-mobility enabled Q-TOF mass spectrometer, a fully automated HDX-MS system, FPOP (Fast Photochemical Oxidation of Proteins) and a custom-modified Orbitrap. This work is built upon our previous work looking at new methodologies for membrane protein extraction, in particular styrene maleic acid co-polymers (SMA) and the diverse range of membrane proteins currently being studied both biochemically and structurally (Lee et al., Nat Protocols 2016, Parmar et al., BBA Biomembranes 2017).

The project will be led by Dr Stephen Muench’s group at the University of Leeds and will involve collaborations with experts in mass spectrometry (Professor Frank Sobott), ion channel pharmacology (Dr Jon Lippiat), membrane biochemistry (Dr Vincent Postis) and will involve two industrial collaborators, Dr Chun-wa Chung (GlaxoSmithKline) and Dr Tom Ceska (UCB). This position will allow you to develop skills in cutting edge techniques, including mass spectrometry and EM. Moreover, you will acquire skills in using different membrane protein support scaffolds and develop a broad range of experience in membrane protein studies. This will be an excellent opportunity for someone looking to peruse the latest developments in membrane protein research, using EM and mass spectrometry. This research will enhance our understanding of membrane protein structure/function and the role of the native lipid environment. 

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Dr Stephen Muench, Lecturer in Membrane Biology

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 4370, Email: s.p.muench@leeds.ac.uk