We Are Recruiting New Lab Members!
Our goal is to create a fun and collaborative environment for lab members to conduct their creative research and advance their research career. We are seeking scientists that are interested to pursue their own research project while collaborating with other lab members for team research.
Post-docs
We seek a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow with an established publication record in one (or more!) of the following areas, excellent English communication skills, and the ability to work effectively within a research team to join NIH-funded research project.
– structural biology
– biochemistry
– biophysics
– molecular dynamics simulations
Please review our post below!
Graduate Students
Potential students from programs across the BSD who are interested in solving biological questions with an integrated structural approach are welcome. These include, but are not limited to, students from the biophysical sciences, cancer biology, neurobiology, and microbiology graduate programs.
Undergraduates
Learn the critical skills of molecular biology and protein engineering as we interrogate fundamental scientific questions together
Open Position: Post-doctoral Scholar in Structural Biology
We are seeking a candidate to study structures and function of human amyloid peptide degrading proteases, which is posted at Science Careers (https://jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/639872/postdoctoral-scholar-in-structural-biology-/). The Tang lab is broadly interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the activity of clinically relevant enzymes and their biomedical implications. Active projects include the study of human proteases involved in diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and neurological disorders, investigating the role of cytokines in inflammation, and exploring how bacterial toxins disrupt host cell processes (https://voices.uchicago.edu/wtang-lab/). The successful candidates will use integrative structural approaches such as cryoEM, X-ray crystallography, SAXS, HDX-MS, MD simulation, and protein evolution to investigate the structure and function of human proteases that degrade amyloidogenic peptides with the goal to address the molecular basis of how human proteases recognize amyloid peptides and develop therapeutic innovation to better maintain proteostasis.
We seek a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow with excellent English communication skills and the ability to work effectively within a research team to join an R01-supported research project. Successful candidates will be given latitude to develop a research project of personal interest within the umbrella of research interest in Dr. Tang’s lab. The Tang lab fosters a highly collaborative environment and offers the opportunity to interact with world-class researchers in the Chicago area and across the nation through longstanding and successful collaborations.
Required education and experience: Applicants must have a recent Ph.D. or equivalent degree in structural biology, biochemistry, or biophysics and a demonstrable record of research success as evidenced by publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals. Motivated candidates with a strong background in modern structural biology and biophysical techniques are highly desirable.
To apply: Interested applicants should submit their curriculum vitae, along with a cover letter stating their research interests and career goals, and the names and contact information of three references to Wei-Jen Tang (wtang@bsd.uchicago.edu). Salary will be based on experience and follow current NIH guidelines.
Open Position(s): Undergraduate Research Assistant
Professor Wei-Jen Tang in the Ben May Department (voices.uchicago.edu/wtang-lab) is looking to hire a University of Chicago undergraduate student who is interested in using computational and experimental methods to investigate the structural dynamics of enzymes. The time commitment is a minimum of 10 hours per week.
Ideal candidates will have some experience in or an eagerness to learn some or all of the following techniques
- Molecular biology and protein engineering (cloning, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, coli and/or yeast expression, protein purification)
- Cryo-EM structural data processing
- Molecular dynamics simulations software (all-atom, coarse-grained)
- Data analysis and presentation using Python, R, or other languages
… as well as the strong organizational and communications skills necessary to succeed in a dynamic lab environment with multiple competing priorities.
Project design will center on the core lab interests of characterizing the conformational dynamics of cryptidase enzymes and their substrate interactions using an integrative structural approach, and the engineering of cryptidase variants with novel substrate activity profiles. Focus can shift between experimental and computational techniques depending on candidate’s interests and skills. Publication of your findings will be encouraged and supported.
Major duties will include some or all of the following:
- Construct design, cloning, expression, purification, and activity assays of wild type and mutant variant cryptidase enzymes
- Cryo-EM sample preparation and data analysis of enzymes +/- substrates
- Attending and presenting experimental and simulations data at lab meetings
- Run and analyze coarse-grained and all-atom simulations of wild-type and mutate variant cryptidase enzymes
- Literature analysis of target enzymes and their (possible) substrates
Applicants should contact Professor Tang at wtang@bsd.uchicago.edu with a CV and transcript, and a brief message describing your interest and why you would be a good candidate.