Postdoctoral Fellow - Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Engineering For Biomedical Applications

Dalhousie University; Halifax; On-site; CAD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research university in Canada is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to work in the Rainey laboratory on engineering recombinant spider silk proteins for biomedical applications. The role involves enhancing silk functionality and utilizing advanced biophysical techniques in a collaborative research environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in Biochemistry or related field required.
• Experience in protein engineering and biophysical characterization preferred.
• Familiarity with advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Engineer spider silk proteins for targeted material properties.
• Utilize 3DBioFibR’s technology for silk formulations.
• Conduct extensive biophysical and materials characterization.

Skills

Protein engineering

Biophysical characterization

Spectroscopy

Microscopy

Education

PhD in Biochemistry or related field

Job description

Postdoctoral Fellow - Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Engineering For Biomedical Applications

This is a postdoctoral fellowship in the Rainey laboratory at Dalhousie University (http://structbio.biochem.dal.ca/jrainey/), collaborating with Dr. John Frampton (http://www.framptonlab.com/) and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in partnership with 3DBioFibR Inc. (https://3dbiofibr.com/).

The Rainey lab has developed recombinant spider silks and processed these into fibres via hand-drawing (e.g., Xu et al., 2017, Biomacromolecules), wet-spinning (e.g., Xu et al., 2019, Small; Simmons et al., 2019, ACS Biomater Sci Eng; Ghimire et al., 2024, Mater Today Bio; Sulekha et al., 2025, Adv Funct Mater), and into films (e.g., Baker et al., 2022, Adv Funct Mater). The project aims to enhance silk protein functionality by engineering proteins for targeted material properties and utilizing 3DBioFibR’s contact drawing technology (https://3dbiofibr.com/our-platform/) to produce varied silk formulations.

Our lab is equipped for recombinant protein production, purification, and extensive biophysical and materials characterization, including CD, FTIR, fluorescence spectroscopy, light scattering, optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, tensile testing, and a new 600 MHz NMR spectrometer. We also have access to advanced facilities for protein biophysics, electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, proteomics, and optical microscopy (https://medicine.dal.ca/research-dal-med/facilities.html).

About Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University is a public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with campuses in Halifax, Bible Hill, and Saint John, NB.

Notice

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