Vacancies
We are
looking for talented, self-motivated and creative individuals with interests in
any of the following areas: supramolecular chemistry, synthesis, physical
organic chemistry, biological chemistry, polymer chemistry, computational
chemistry. There are opportunities to work on a wide range of different
projects as part of a multidisciplinary team in the Hunter lab. If you are
interested in joining the group, you should carefully consider what scientific
area you would be interested in working on before contacting us.
PhD Studentships Available for
2019
Applications should be emailed to herchelsmith.orgchem@ch.cam.ac.uk enclosing a cover letter, a detailed curriculum vitae and the contact details of two academic referees.
Make sure you use the subject "Hunter Lab Vacancies" so that your email is not lost in a spam filter.
PhD
studentship in Chemical Biology. The student will
based in the laboratory of Professor Chris Hunter in the Department of
Chemistry, University of Cambridge and will work on a project titled “Multivalent
Probes for Protein Aggregates”. The aim of the
project is to develop a range of new chemical tools for characterizing and
imaging misfolded pathogenic proteins in humans focusing on the development of
specific markers for oligomeric forms of these proteins. The appointee will
work as part of a larger team in collaboration with the research groups of
Professors Klenerman (Biophysical Chemistry), Spillantini (Clinical
Neurosciences) and Aigbirhio (Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre). The project
will involve the synthesis of libraries of ligands, testing their binding
affinity and selectivity for beta-amyloid, tau, alpha-synuclein and p53
proteins, and in collaboration with other members of the team, biological
testing. PhD studentship in Synthetic
Supramolecular Chemistry. The student will
based in the laboratory of Professor Chris Hunter in the Department of
Chemistry, University of Cambridge and will work on a project titled “Synthetic
Information Molecules”. The aim of the project is
to develop new classes of molecules that will offer a programmable alternative
to the nucleic acids. The project will involve synthetic chemistry to develop
monomeric building blocks equipped with H-bond recognition sites,
characterizing the duplex forming properties of oligomers of these building
blocks and template synthesis of complementary oligomers. The appointee will
interact with other members of a large team working on complementary approaches
within the same general framework. PhD studentship in Membrane
Chemistry. The student will based in the laboratory of
Professor Chris Hunter in the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge and will work on a
project titled “Artifical Signal Transduction”. The aim is to develop molecular systems capable of transmitting
chemical information across a lipid membrane in a similar manner to coupled
membrane protein receptors. Transduction of a chemical signal from the outside
of a vesicle will be achieved via controlled translocation, which will trigger
a chemical process on the inside of the vesicle. The appointee will work as
part of a larger team in collaboration with the research group of Professor
Nick Williams (University of Sheffield). The project will involve organic
synthesis of the building blocks equipped with appropriate recognition sites;
studies of the binding properties of these systems; incorporation into
vesicles; assessment of recognition triggered transmembrane signalling
properties. PhD studentship in Computational
Chemistry. The student will based in the laboratory of
Professor Chris Hunter in the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge and will work on a
project titled “Computational Protein-Ligand Docking”. The project is part of a large programme aimed at establishing new
accurate quantitative description of non-covalent interactions that can be used
to predict condensed phase molecular properties. The appointee will work in
collaboration with AstraZeneca on the development of applications of these
methods for predicting protein-ligand binding affinities for use in virtual
screening of large molecular libraries. A number of 3 or 4 year PhD scholarships are
available each year for talented students who want to work in the Hunter
research group. Details of how to apply can be found at http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/pgapp (in the application form, make sure you tick all the boxes in the
section titled FUNDING PATHWAYS). When you apply, you should also email a copy of the
application forms, your CV and a research proposal (a one
page outline of a project that you would like to work on in the Hunter lab) to herchelsmith.orgchem@ch.cam.ac.uk.
Make sure you use the subject "Hunter Lab Vacancies" so that your
email is not lost in a spam filter. The deadline for applications for entry the
following academic year is the end of October, so make sure you apply early. Post-doctoral
vacancies become available regularly, and these posts are advertised at http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/jobs. However,
the timescale for filling these vacancies is usually short, so the best way to
guarantee a place in the lab is to secure an independent fellowship. Links to
some of the organisations that sponsor fellowships are provided below, but this
list is not exhaustive, so it is worth doing your own research. Applicants
should email a CV and a research proposal (a one
page outline of a project that you would like to work on in the Hunter lab) to herchelsmith.orgchem@ch.cam.ac.uk.
Make sure you use the subject "Hunter Lab Vacancies" so that your
email is not lost in a spam filter. Scholarships
are available for enthusiastic undergraduate students to carry out summer research
projects that last 8-10 weeks. A number
of final year undergraduate (Part III) research projects are available every
year.PhD Scholarships
Post-Doctoral Positions
Undergraduate Research Projects