Job Summary & Key Responsibilities
This is a postdoctoral fellowship in the Rainey laboratory at Dalhousie University (http://structbio.biochem.dal.ca/jrainey/), working in collaboration with Dr. John Frampton (http://www.framptonlab.com/) and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with 3DBioFibR Inc. (https://3dbiofibr.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; Ghimire et al. (2024) Mater Today Bio 26: 101073; Sulekha et a. (2025) Adv Funct Mater 35: 2420254) or into films (e.g., Baker et al. (2022) Adv Funct Mater 32: 22051778). The present project will expand silk protein functionality by evaluating the potential to engineer silk proteins for desired materials properties and apply 3DBioFibR’s contact drawing technology (https://3dbiofibr.com/our-platform/) to produce silks with different materials formulations. We are 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 newly installed solution- and solid-state 600 MHz NMR spectrometer). Excellent Dalhousie-based protein biophysics (https://bit.ly/3AvBEpt), electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, proteomics, and optical microscopy core facilities (https://medicine.dal.ca/research-dal-med/facilities.html) are also routinely used by our lab.
Qualifications/Requirements
· PhD in biochemistry, biomedical engineering, biophysics, chemistry, materials science, physics, polymer science/engineering, 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
Salary Range: $52,000-$57,000
Applications must be submitted through Dalhousie’s online Human Resources system at the following link: https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/18852
Additional Information
Full applications must include: (1) a cover letter, (2) a current CV, and (3) a list of referees including the names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of at least 2 references, one of whom should be the current/most recent research supervisor.
Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. In accordance with our Employment Equity Policy, preference will be given in hiring processes to candidates who self-identify as members of one or more of the equity-deserving groups listed above. For more information, including details related to our Employment Equity Policy and Plan and definitions of equity-deserving groups please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.
If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, such as technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance. Dalhousie University is committed to ensuring all candidates have full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed here.
