Berkeley Lab (LBNL) addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
Position Summary:
Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry Division has an opening for a Microbiologist Postdoctoral Fellow. We seek a new member to join our multi-disciplinary team of microbiologists, biophysicists, biochemists and inorganic chemists working to develop novel living materials with desired strength, stiffness, and penetrability. The successful candidate will engineer strains of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus which bind to and organize distinct nanoparticles in predictable nanoscale arrays, and which adhere to each other to form multi-strain biofilms with tunable multicellular patterns. These strains will be used or organize engineering ceramic wafers into two- and three-dimensional materials, in which the bacterial biofilms survive over weeks to months.
What You Will Do:
Express S-layer proteins with distinct binding abilities in Caulobacter crescentus.
With collaborators, characterize the patterning of ceramic nanoparticles on engineered C. crescentus strains using electron microscopy.
Engineer C. crescentus strains to express interacting quorum sensing systems enabling the manipulation of strain ratios in mixed biofilms.
Cultivate mixed biofilms of C. crescentus strains in 3-D living materials with long-term viability.
Maintain an accurate and detailed scientific notebook of all experiments performed. Ensure that others could duplicate results.
Communicate results in group meetings.
Contribute to research publications through experimental results.
Additional Responsibilities as needed:
What Is Required:
PhD granted within the last three years in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, or a related discipline whose focus is the molecular biology and physiology of bacteria.
An imaginative and rigorous approach to research and the ability to communicate with scientists in other disciplines.
Expertise in bacterial strain construction and cultivation.
Additional Desired Qualifications:
The posting shall remain open until the position is filled.
Notes:
This is a full time, 1 year, postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs. You must have less than 4 years paid postdoctoral experience. Salary for Postdoctoral positions depends on years of experience post-degree.
Full-time, M-F, exempt (monthly paid) from overtime pay.
This position is represented by a union for collective bargaining purposes.
Salary will be predetermined based on postdoctoral step rates.
This position is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.
Work will be primarily performed at: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. Berkeley Lab is in compliance with the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision under 41 CFR 60-1.4. Click here to view the poster and supplement: "Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law."
