Displaying items by tag: postdoctoral fellowship

South Africans/permanent South African residence holders with a PhD in any of the following fields: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, or Biotechnology are invited to apply for a postdoctoral position that has arisen in Prof. Shonhai’s laboratory based at the University of Venda, Limpopo.

The selected candidate will be required to conduct research on the role of heat shock proteins in the development and pathogenicity of malaria parasites. Prof. Shonhai is a recipient of a prestigious Georg Foster Fellowship awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt (Germany) and a National Research Foundation of South Africa C-rated scientist. His research is funded by the Germany Research Foundation (DFG), the National Research Foundation of South Africa and the University of Venda.

Prof. Shonhai’s lab boasts equipment such as gel imagers, 96 well plate readers with fluorescence and UV/VIS capabilities, thermo-controlled free standing centrifuges, SDS-PAGE, Western blot and agarose electrophoresis units, shaker incubators, etc. His lab team collaborates with colleagues based at several local institutions such as Witswatersrand University, University of Zululand, and Rhodes University. He also collaborates with groups based at Marburg University, Technical University of Munich and Karlsruhe, Germany.

For further details, please contact Prof. Shonhai; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or phone, 0159628723 (office)

Reseach details:

Plant biomass-derived bioethanol is regarded as a leading alternative energy source in a fossil fuel dependent energy paradigm. Bioethanol functions as octane enhancer, and can be used to replace up to 15% of petrol. It also acts as a fuel oxygenate in petrol blends allowing more complete combustion and hence, decreased polluting emissions. The departments of Microbiology and Process Engineering at Stellenbosch University, through the South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Biofuels, are at the forefront of South African research to address the shortcomings of plant polysaccharide conversion to bioethanol. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were engineered to simultaneously hydrolyse plant materials (cellulose and raw starch) and ferment the resulting monosaccharides through the development of enabling technologies such as advanced plant polysaccharides pretreatment and advanced Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP). Simplification and cost-reduction of the hydrolysis-fermentation process can be further achieved by integrating superior enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation with more robust yeast into a single unit operation. To achieve this, supportive bioinformatics research dedicated to solving current problems in bioethanol biotechnology, specifically improved industrial performance of yeast strains and improved catalytic efficiency of enzyme hydrolysis, remain key.

Research Details
The Bacterial Genomics and Host Pathogen Interactions group is based at the University of Pretoria, Forestry, Agriculture and Biotechnology Institute. Our research focuses on the interaction on potato plant interactions with one of their major bacteria pathogens Soft Rot Enterobacteriaceae (SRE). To understand these interactions we use genomics, transcriptomics, and other ‘omics’ to identify bacterial virulence factors as well as elucidate host defence mechanisms being targeted by these virulence factors. The following projects are currently available in the research group.

Two postodctoral fellowships at University of Fort Hare. See details below:

BACKGROUND:
The successful candidate will join the Microbiology Subject Group of the Environmental Science and Management Research Unit at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University to contribute towards applications of Next-Generation Sequencing (microbial metagenomics, annotation of small genomes, transcriptome assemblies) in Microbiology or related biological field.

For application enquiries please contact: Prof. L. Korsten, Tel: +27 12 420 3295. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Application form can be found on the University website

New postdoctoral fellowship in Bioinformatics and Metagenomics available (2013-2015).

A postdoctoral position in the bioinformatic analysis of metagenomic data is available for a suitably qualified PhD graduate for up to 3 years, renewable based on performance and progress. The successful applicant will pursue research in IMBM, in a project aimed to mine metagenomic next generation sequence data from extreme environments for biotechnologically relevant genes which can be developed as products in the bioenergy, agricultural and human medicine sectors.

The Next Generation Sequencing Unit at the Central Analytical Facilities (CAF) is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join the NGS team and expand the Bioinformatics capacity.

Project title: NGS data analysis in projects related to wheat and wheat diseases
Duration: 2 years

Scope of Research:
CAF currently boasts a SOLiD 5500xl and an Ion Torrent PGM together with conventional sequencing equipment. The DNA Sequencing unit has been operational for over 12 years with recent expansion into the NGS market, and delivers a service to local and international clients from academia as well as industry.

The successful candidate will initially mainly be involved in analysis of data relevant to two projects in the Agri Biotech field.
The first project will generate genomic NGS data for 4 fungal races of the same species. The genomes have to be assembled and annotated. Comparative analysis between the four races will be part of the project in collaboration with the client.
The second project entails transcriptome sequencing of wheat. RNA-seq data will be analyzed and differentially expressed genes be identified for our international collaborator.
The candidate might also be requested to get involved in other projects running at CAF.

Requirements: PhD in Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computer Science or related field (must have graduated within the last five years.

The successful candidate will have at least 2 years experience in the analysis of NGS data preferably with experience of SOLiD data.

• The accepted applicant should have strong written and communication skills, and be proficient in the following:
• Linux
• Open source command line Bioinformatics software
• HPC (not required)
• Perl or Python and shell scripts
• Understanding of basic genetics and molecular techniques

Successful applicants will be subject to University policies and procedures.

Commencement of duties: As soon as possible
Remuneration: A bursary will be available – value depends on experience of successful candidate
Closing date: 7 April 2013

Please Note:

• Postdoctoral fellows do not hold posts or positions; neither do they enter into an employment contract with the University.
• They receive a fellowship in order to conduct research, and do not receive a salary or remuneration for contract research or teaching.
• Their bursaries are paid out via the bursary system and not Human Resources.
• They are not part of the teaching staff of the university, neither are they contract researchers.
• They are not postgraduate students

Enquiries:
Send a letter of application, accompanied by a comprehensive curriculum vitae, including list of publications and the names and contact details of at least two referees, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applicants should request their referees to forward confidential reports by the closing date direct to the same address.