POSITION SUMMARY:
This is a postdoctoral fellowship in partnership between the Rainey laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Dalhousie University (http://structbio.biochem.dal.ca/jrainey/) and Halifax-based 3D BioFibR Inc. (https://3dbiofibr.com/), working in collaboration with Dr. John Frampton at Dalhousie’s School of Biomedical Engineering (https://www.framptonlab.com/). The Rainey lab has developed a variety of recombinant spider silks and processed these into fibres by hand-drawing (e.g., Xu et al. (2017) Biomacromolecules 18: 3678) and wet-spinning (e.g., Xu et al. (2019) Small 15: 1805294; Simmons et al. (2019) ACS Biomater Sci Eng 5: 4985) or into films (e.g., Baker et al. (2022) Adv Funct Mater 32: 22051778). In the present project, processing of these recombinant silks will be expanded into dry-spinning of fibres with the ultimate goal of developing new silk-based suture materials, supported by Dr. Michael Bezuhly (https://bit.ly/41FoVfL). The Rainey laboratory is well-equipped for recombinant protein production and purification and for biophysical and materials characterization (CD, FTIR and fluorescence spectroscopy instruments; light scattering instrument; optical microscopy; atomic force microscopy; tensile testing; and, a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer incoming later in 2023). Excellent Dalhousie-based protein biophysics (https://bit.ly/3AvBEpt), electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, proteomics, and optical microscopy core facilities are also routinely used by our lab. This fellowship is structured as a series of Intern units funded through an NSERC Alliance/Mitacs Accelerate grant with partner 3D BioFibR Inc. This will ensure substantial experience in working and interacting with 3D BioFibR alongside the academic lab-based aspects of the project.
Qualifications:
- PhD in biochemistry, biomedical engineering, biophysics, chemistry, materials science, physics, or other field directly related to the project
- Demonstrated research excellence, as evidenced in first-authored publications and, ideally, receiving of competitive scholarships
- Excellent English language oral and written communications skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Specific Eligibility Requirements to Qualify for Mitacs Intern Funding:
- PhD degree cannot have been completed more than 3 years ago
- No prior Mitacs internship units can have been completed, as this position will lead to up to 9 internship units
Additional information: Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.
Salary Range: $43,000-$47,000
Term of appointment: 1 year, with a possibility of renewal for up to two additional years based upon performance and upon continuation of funding, anticipated start date of September 1, 2023
Deadline for application: June 1, 2023
A complete application consists of: (1) a cover letter, (2) current CV, and (3) names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of 3 references. Applications must be submitted through Dalhousie’s online job posting system at the following URL: https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/13452
