Positions Available

POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN STRUCTURAL BIOINFORMATICS

Project
Tropomyosin is a coiled coil protein that binds along the length of the actin filament. The sequence contains quasi-periodic repeats resulting from gene duplication that have been proposed to correspond to actin binding sites.

To complement a traditional mutagenesis approach we are initiating a bioinformatics strategy to understand how tropomyosin evolved as an actin binding protein. By creating a phylogenetic tree and measuring the shifts in evolutionary rates of individual residues we will develop testable hypotheses about which residues may bind to the conserved protein, actin.

Position is available immediately.

Qualifications
Ph.D. in relevant science
Interest in protein structure
Experience in working with data bases
Enjoy computer-based analyses, modeling; interest in learning new programs
Self-motivated
Ability to think independently

Sponsor
Dr. Sarah Hitchcock-DeGregori
Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
675 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
hitchcoc@umdnj.edu
Tel: (732) 235-5236

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is on the same campus as Rutgers University. The campus has centers for proteomics (a NIH Protein Structure Initiative) and mathematical biology (BioMaPS). The Protein Data Base (PDB) is located here at Rutgers. In NYC metropolitan area; close to Philadelphia.

3/20/08