Oferty pracy w projektach finansowanych przez NCN
Narodowe Centrum Nauki prezentuje bazę ogłoszeń o wolnych stanowiskach pracy przy projektach finansowanych przez Centrum. Narodowe Centrum Nauki nie ponosi odpowiedzialności za treść i wiarygodność przesyłanych ofert pracy.
Uprzejmie informujemy o nowych warunkach zatrudniania osób na stanowiska typu post-doc: limit czasu upływającego od uzyskania stopnia doktora dla aplikujących na te stanowiska kobiet może być przedłużony o 1,5 roku za każde urodzone bądź przysposobione dziecko.
Oferta pracy
Nazwa stanowiska: PhD student
Wymagania:
Hold a degree of Master of Science [Magister], Master of Engineering [Magister Inżynier], medical doctor or
equivalent in the field of: exact sciences, natural sciences, medical sciences or related disciplines, granted by
a Polish or foreign university; a person who does not possess the qualifications described above may take
part in the competition, but must obtain the qualifications in question and provide the relevant documents
before the start of the programme at the Doctoral School. Education at the Doctoral School begins on 1st March 2026.
Laboratory experience with physicochemical techniques will be considered an asset.
The goal of this project is to elucidate the influence of phospholipid bilayers and their models on interactions of biological peptides and related molecules with copper ions. This knowledge is required to better understand the processes involving copper signaling in health and disease. Biological compartments, relevant to copper signaling, including synapses, have very high surface to volume aspects, resulting in copper complexes present in the vicinity of the membrane. Still, their interactions are barely known. We will use exact physicochemical methods, to establish whether the phospholipid membrane may influence the biological chemistry of Cu2+/Cu+ ions. The obtained knowledge will contribute to designing innovative metallodrugs and therapies. The project will consist of nine tasks:
1. Peptide synthesis. Peptidic neuromodulators, Aβ species, NKB, NMC, hepcidin and other disulfide neuropeptides will be synthesized according to Fmoc strategy. Trp mutants and shorter model peptideswill be also obtained.
2. The effect of micellar environment on the Cu(II) binding affinity of neuromodulators. Equilibrium constants of Cu(II) complexes with neuromodulators will be determined in micellar systems.
3. Structural characterization of selected complex/micelle systems. This will be accomplished by NMR, including 19F spectra for Cu(II) complexes and isostructural Cu(II) replacements with diamagnetic Ni(II) or Pd(II).
4. Susceptibility of selected complex/micelle systems to competition from small hydrophilic ligands. The expected weakening of Cu(II) binding affinity of neuromodulators may make them susceptible to competition neurotransmitters, including glutamic acid, histidine, carnosine, taurine, dopamine, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, serotonin, and short histidine peptides.
5. Susceptibility of selected complex/micelle systems to reducing agents. Cu(II) complexes must be reduced to Cu(I) for hCtr1 transport. This will be tested using GSH, cysteine and ascorbate. The interference by small competitors and Zn2+ ions will also be studied.
6. The effect of micellar environment on the kinetics of exchange of Cu(II) ions between neuromodulators and other synaptic ligands. This will be studied by stopped-flow. Reactions faster than 2 ms will be approached by freeze quench kinetics coupled with EPR. Competition between Zn(II) and Cu(II)/Cu(I) ions will also be studied.
7. Synthesis of O-dodecylserine (ODS) and creation of Cu(II)-binding micelles. ODS will be synthesized for the first time, to serve as SDS-compatible analog of phosphatidylserine, a Cu(II) binding phospholipid. Its ability to form micelles will be tested, followed by studies of Cu(II) binding, competition with neuromodulators, redox and kinetic studies.
8. Interactions of Cu(II) complexes with negatively charged, neutral and Cu(II)-binding liposomes. Unilamellar liposomes will be prepared using phospholipids with distinct types of polar heads, followed by Trp fluorescence assays to test whether the interactions in liposomes correspond to micellar systems.
9. Cellular test of suitability of neuromodulators for copper delivery to cells. We developed an innovative protocol for “clean” exposure of HEK293 culture to Cu(II) complexes in a medium free environment, empowering the chemically selective interaction of these complexes with hCtr1. Promising complexes from previous tasks will be verified here.
The main focus of the PhD candidate will be on Tasks 1 - 7
Termin składania ofert: 14 stycznia 2026, 23:59
Forma składania ofert: email
Warunki zatrudnienia:
1st year: 4 000 2nd year: 4 000 3rd year: 4 932.95 4th year: 4 932.95
Dodatkowe informacje:Send this file as an attachment to PhDschool-recruitment@ibb.waw.pl or post documents to: Doctoral School (Building D, Room No. 6)
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences
Pawinskiego 5a;02-106 Warszawa Poland Include "Procedure no. DSMBBC/2025/18" and your first and last name as the subject of the e-mail Selected candidates will be invited for the interview that will take place from 20.01.2026 to 29.01.2026 (the
exact date will be given in the invitation).
More information at: https://ibb.edu.pl/app/uploads/2025/11/ogloszenie_dsmbbc_2025_18.pdf