09 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Masaryk University, Czech Republic

We’re excited to announce an open post-doctoral position in Robert Vacha’s Research Group!

Cells employ protein liquid droplets to form dynamic clusters, which function as nanoreactors or storages with the increased local concentration of specific protein components. These membrane-less organelles self-assemble based on weak protein-protein interactions of intrinsically disordered domains. However, the role of specific sequences remains elusive and the mixing between different protein droplets unexplored.

This ERC-funded project aims to the droplets involved in genome transcription, where posttranslational modifications control the droplet composition and regulate the transcription. Expected findings are not only important for the general knowledge but could also be useful in the design of new treatments because translocation malfunction is involved in numerous diseases including cancer. The research is strongly coupled to collaborations with excellent experimental teams and will be more closely discussed during the interview. The employed tools will contain multi-scale simulations using a wide range of advanced sampling techniques and development of protein parametrization.

This ERC-funded project aims to the design of novel peptides and peptide aggregates able to induce spontaneous fusion. The peptides have been selected based on their biocompatibility and our exceptional experience with membrane-active peptides, including the design of de novo sequences based on the elucidated mechanism. The first step will be to develop a computational approach to determine the critical peptide properties required to destabilize or stabilize key fusion states: membrane stalk, hemifusion diaphragm, and fusion pore. These findings will then be used to de novo design peptide sequences where the fusogenic role of each amino acid is known, providing the key advantage for customization for vaccination and drug delivery. The computational results will be verified by fluorescence and electron microscopy.

Applications are invited for the position in the research group of Konstantinos Tripsianes, Ph.D. Dishevelled (DVL) is the central hub of Wnt signal transduction that integrates and transduces upstream signals through distinct cytoplasmic cascades. Looking at the many DVL faces reported in literature, three salient features underlying its function in signaling can be highlighted: (1) it interacts with more than seventy binding partners, (2) it is heavily phosphorylated at multiple sites by at least eight different kinases, in particular by Ck1ε/δ after Wnt stimulation, and (3) it consistently forms puncta in the cytosol, that are phase-separated self-assemblies also called liquid droplets.

Our working hypothesis is that DVL conformational plasticity mediated by the order-disorder interactions allows the combinatorial integration of phosphorylation input, partners binding, self-assembly in droplets, and allosteric coupling, to exquisitely control signal routing. We integrate structural biology (NMR, SAXS, X-ray, MS-HDX) and biophysical techniques (FRET, ITC, BLI) with cellular readouts (TopFlash, BRET) to understand DVL structure, function, and regulation. Candidates can choose among three open questions, that if resolved, will have significant impact on Wnt research.

• To perform x-ray scattering measurements on selected advanced materials
• To analyze the data using phenomenological models and/or to design related new experimental setups, eventually to help to develop software for x-ray data analysis
• To write papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals
• To present his/her results at international conferences

We are seeking postdoctoral candidates with background in social psychology, cognitive science, or social neuroscience to join a highly interdisciplinary project on the computational model of religious decision-making. The Computing Religious Devotion project (CREDO; see https://www.levyna.cz/en/about-us/research/credo-project) is a five-year project (2024-2028) funded by the Czech Science Foundation and is based at Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic).

The aim of the CREDO project is to develop a computational model of moral decision-making. In this model, religious belief, forged through religious practice, forms strong priors in the mind. When the mind simulates possible actions during decision-making, religious actions become readily available and likely selected due to their high value. To empirically develop the model, the CREDO project will determine how religious belief affects the strength of religious priors during normative decision-making in various laboratory and field studies. Moreover, in a large-scale cross-cultural study, the project will establish how beliefs and practices of different religious traditions affect cognitive computations during normative decisions. The goal of the CREDO project is to produce one of a kind, comprehensive model of how religions shape the mind.

The successful candidate will lead experimental testing of the predictions from the computational model of religious decision-making in cooperation with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Martin Lang and another postdoctoral researcher with strong experimental skills. Specifically, the successful candidate will design experiments probing cognitive processes underlying moral decision-making and determine how religious priors affect such decision-making. They will work in a fully equipped lab (EEG, fNIRS, BIOPAC) and at a field site in Mauritius. The candidate will be given significant responsibility and autonomy while also benefiting from the mentorship of the PI, playing a crucial role in forming the CREDO project as well as future research areas for the whole lab.

We are searching for an experienced, innovative, independent and highly motivated scientist for the research topic “Modelling the impacts of soil pollution on soil ecosystem services”.

The topic is focused on ecosystem services, soil ecotoxicology, soil contamination, and ecological risk assessment. The work will be focused on metals, pesticides, microplastics, PFAS and nutrients. The major task of the researcher will be the translation of known pollution-biota interactions into ecosystem services distortions, the development of the mathematical models for that, and the calculation of impacts in various real use cases and different scenarios. It will be needed to consolidate current knowledge into the following nexus: the effects of defined pollutants on soil biota ==> the roles of that biota in soil functions ==> the connection of these functions to ecosystem services. This  sequence will need to be modelled, and the dependencies quantified to enable modelling of the soil pollution – ecosystem services relationships.

The researcher will be supported to visit relevant conferences, training, and scientific stays and to prepare side projects to improve the scientific career.

The position is open within the international collaborative Horizon Europe project SOILPROM, with the main aim to deliver upgraded and integrated models for pollutant transport and fate that assess the impact of soil pollution on soil functions and related ecosystem services. More information about the project, its partners, and others is here: https://soilprom.eu/

The project team at RECETOX will consist of a new researcher at RECETOX hired via this call (a major researcher fully focused on the project tasks), a new PhD student, and, optionally, an undergraduate student. The team will be supervised and coordinated by Prof. Jakub Hofman.

We are looking for a motivated and curiosity-driven scientist to join our team and contribute to the exciting project “Synthetic lethal interactions of the mitochondrial integrated stress response in MYC-driven tumors” (GA25-16629S, Czech Science Foundation), integrating mitochondrial and cancer biology to advance therapies for aggressive MYC-addicted tumors. The research builds on our recent breakthrough findings (Borankova et al., Cell Death & Disease 2023) to elucidate context-specific regulators and activities of the mitochondrial integrated stress response (mitoISR) in relation to MYC oncoproteins. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches, including novel inducible MYC/MYCN models, this project aims to dissect mitoISR-mediated synthetic lethality and potentially unlock new strategies for targeting therapy-resistant MYC-driven tumors. As a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Jan Škoda’s research group, you will work closely with other team members and will receive support for attending relevant conferences, training sessions, and scientific stays, as well as the opportunity to develop side projects to advance your scientific career.

Do you have a passion for understanding the details of virus replication cycles? Join our team! Our research projects focus on determining particle structures and infection mechanisms of human picornaviruses and flaviviruses, as well as bacteriophages infecting pathogenic bacteria.

The Plevka Lab has access to cutting-edge cryo-EM equipment at our in-house core facility. Our work is supported by significant third-party funding, including an ERC Consolidator grant, ensuring freedom in pursuing our research endeavors.

We are seeking creative, independent, and motivated colleagues with proven research experience relevant to this position. Candidates with expertise in virology or structural biology are particularly encouraged to apply.